Red Cross sends 8 tons of aid to Sudan, as heavy fighting continues

2023-04-30 17:35:10

First modification: 30/04/2023 – 17:35

Sudan received this Sunday, a first plane with eight tons of humanitarian aid from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The shipment arriving from Jordan includes surgical supplies, essential for hospitals and medical volunteers. Since April 15, the country has experienced a fierce confrontation between rival military generals.

“The eight-tonne shipment of humanitarian aid includes surgical supplies to assist Sudanese hospitals and Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers,” the International Red Cross reported. The aid arrived from Jordan to Port Sudan, 850 km from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, where part of the fighting is centered.

With this material it will be possible to “treat 1,500 wounded,” the ICRC’s regional director for Africa, Patrick Yussef, told reporters. “We now hope to be able to quickly deliver it to the main hospitals in Khartoum,” he added.

For this he asked for “security guarantees”. Youssef described a “very difficult” situation. “The situation is catastrophic due to the lack of doctors and material,” he said. At least 528 people have been killed and 4,000 injured since the start of the conflict, according to the Sudanese Ministry of Health.

relentless crossfire

Intense fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitaries continued on Sunday as a three-day truce that was not respected on the ground nears the end.

Sudan has been subjected to bombardments and anti-aircraft fire since April 15 when the conflict began between General Abdel Fatah al Burhan, who leads the country, and his number two and now rival, the military Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who heads the paramilitary group Forces Rapid Support (FAR).

Clashes continued in the capital Khartoum and in other regions, especially in the Darfur area, as happened during a first truce, which also failed to stop the fighting. The current ceasefire in effect expires at midnight this Sunday (22:00 GMT).

Several witnesses reported that there is fighting very close to the army headquarters in Khartoum and shelling in Omdurman, a northern suburb of the capital.

“There are very violent fighting, shots are heard on my street every few minutes, since dawn,” a witness told AFP.

According to the UN, 75,000 people were displaced by the fighting to other parts of the country and at least 20,000 fled to Chad, 4,000 to South Sudan, and 3,500 to Ethiopia. According to estimates, if the war continues up to 270,000 people could flee the country.

The Sudanese authorities reported that the fighting affects 12 of the 18 states of the country, which has 45 million inhabitants and is one of the poorest in the world.