Rhino: Agencies – The United Nations has warned that the humanitarian disaster in conflict-torn Sudan threatens the entire region, following the declaration of famine in the North Darfur region.
“The warning signs have been there for months,” said Mamadou Diène Balde, UNHCR’s regional director for East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes. “Displaced women, children and men are dying of hunger, malnutrition and disease. With more than 10 million people forcibly displaced since the war began last year, and without basic services for a large proportion of the population, the world’s most urgent humanitarian disaster is growing and deepening every day, threatening to engulf the entire region.” said UNHCR’s Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, Mamadou Diane Balde.
“The volume of refugees and internally displaced people is putting a huge strain on host communities and is reaching a breaking point. Urgent action is vital to avoid further death and suffering.
Baldi called for an end to the war and for humanitarian workers to be given access to provide life-saving assistance, saying: “The people of Sudan have suffered enough.”