Dear Editor,
The noteworthy assurance made by Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin to highlight the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan to his EU peers has been lauded by Concern Worldwide. Such a pledge was made during his recent meetings in Ethiopia and Kenya. It has now become apparent that urgent action from the EU and the global community is required to stop the ongoing conflict and lay the groundwork for far-reaching humanitarian aid.
It is an appalling fact that Sudan, with the severity of its crisis, has faded from global consciousness – a “forgotten war”. The anguish being experienced, impacting almost half its population -approximately 25 million individuals – needing humanitarian help, after a year and a half of conflict, is a cause for collective shame.
Alarming estimates predict that upwards of 750,000 individuals are experiencing conditions akin to a famine, a harsh reality which implicates that children are losing their lives at present and the number is likely to increase.
An additional crisis unfolds with over seven million individuals being displaced from their homes, with two million crossing the border into neighbouring countries. With the nation’s health infrastructure having collapsed, epidemics of chimera, measles, malaria, and dengue have unfurled.
Our dedicated teams from Concern, working at the forefront, are confronting the reality of a populace on the precipice of famine. Our support to 90 clinics is stretched thin with an escalating influx of unhealthy and underfed children seeking medical help. Our teams located across the borders of Chad and South Sudan also bear the burden as a deluge of traumatised Sudanese, seeking food, water, and sanctuary, escape conflict. The outpouring of such refugees continues unabated.
In our increasingly divided world, it’s essential that the EU acknowledges its obligation in mitigating such widespread suffering. The Tánaiste’s push for the EU to take swift political action in this gargantuan Sudan crisis has the unwavering support of Concern. His coordinated effort to secure the necessary funding and resources to thwart an impending famine is indeed commendable.
Yours sincerely,
David Regan,
Chief Executive, Concern Worldwide,
Dublin 2.