Rhino: Agencies – Edim Wesorno, Director of Operations and Advocacy at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Friday that 30 million people in Sudan are in need of assistance.
She described the capital, Khartoum, as having become a “ghost city” due to the war.
Wesorno made the remarks in a press briefing from New York, via video call from the city of Port Sudan in eastern Sudan, according to the United Nations News website.
Wesorno has visited Sudan several times over the past years, but her recent visit to Khartoum was the first by OCHA since the office was forced to leave in April 2023 after the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“What I saw in Khartoum was horrifying, it is a destroyed city. After being full of life, Khartoum has become a ghost city,” she said.
She noted that she began working in Sudan 20 years ago when she started her career with OCHA.
“I have never seen anything like this in nearly a quarter of a century of working in Sudan and other conflict-affected areas with the UN and humanitarian work,” she added.
Wesorno said Sudan represents the “world’s largest crisis, with 30 million people in need of aid.”
She added, “What we ask for is 55 cents per day for every person in Sudan. That’s all. When humanitarian access is allowed, when security and safety guarantees exist, and when we have enough supplies and funding, we can help.”
