Sudan: Witnessing a life-and-death emergency on a massive scale

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The crisis in Sudan is a life-and-death emergency on a massive scale that has been overshadowed by other crises in the world, said Avril Benoît, executive director of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières in the United States (MSF) USA.

Benoît gave the following statement today after visiting MSF teams in eastern Chad and in Sudan's Darfur region:

"When the war in Sudan exploded one year ago, it set off one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. But most of the world has turned away. This crisis is not getting even a tiny fraction of the international attention or assistance that people in Sudan require. More than 8 million people have been uprooted from their homes, extreme violence against civilians is widespread, and malnutrition is at alarming levels.

"We are seeing a catastrophe unfolding in North Darfur, where our teams have estimated that 13 children are dying each day of malnutrition and related health conditions at a camp for displaced people. Across the border in Chad, I met with refugees who fled ethnically targeted violence in Darfur, and who now risk losing access to even a bare minimum of food and water due to international aid shortfalls.

"MSF is one of the few international aid organizations still operating in Sudan, working in some of the areas worst affected by the conflict. And in many places, we are the only international organization present. We are calling on other organizations to step into the humanitarian void to meet the enormous unmet needs. We are also urging Sudanese authorities to stop blocking aid and preventing staff from reaching communities cut off from health care. What we see is alarming, but we’re even more worried about what we’re not seeing due to bureaucratic obstruction and access restrictions.

"This is a life-and-death emergency on a massive scale but it has been overshadowed by other crises in the world. It is past time for the international community to address this crisis head on."

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).