Sudan: UN blames RSF for blocking relief aid to Darfur amid growing crisis
AFP
The United Nations on Monday accused Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of obstructing humanitarian aid to Darfur, a region on the brink of famine as war devastates the country.
The RSF, locked in battle with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023, controls nearly all of Darfur, a vast western region the size of France. Since May, the militia has besieged North Darfur’s El-Fasher and launched repeated attacks on displacement camps nearby.
Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, condemned the “persistent restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles” imposed by the RSF’s humanitarian agency, saying they were preventing life-saving assistance from reaching millions in desperate need.
“The world is watching, and it is unacceptable that the humanitarian community in Sudan… is unable to deliver essential aid,” she said in a statement.
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has declared famine in five areas of North Darfur, warning that it could spread to five more by May. Nearly seven million people in Darfur are already facing crisis levels of hunger, with 25 million across Sudan suffering from dire food insecurity.
The UN has called for an end to RSF’s interference in aid operations, including demands for logistical support and mandatory engagement with selected vendors.
Since the conflict erupted, both warring sides have been accused of obstructing aid, looting supplies, and threatening relief workers.
The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced 12 million people, and triggered the world’s worst hunger and displacement crisis.
