Mothers feed their malnourished children at a clinic in Jebel Awlia, south of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
This article is published in association with United Nations.
The UN relief chief Tom Fletcher has highlighted recent diplomatic progress made towards a three-month pause to the brutal fighting in Sudan between rival militaries.
“Welcome progress from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the US towards urgently needed 3-month humanitarian truce in Sudan,” Mr. Fletcher wrote on social media.
“We stand ready to deliver,” he added. “Safe, unhindered access is key.”
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The joint statement made by the four countries comes amid Sudan’s spiralling crisis of violence, hunger and environmental disaster.
After two years of conflict between military government forces and their rival RSF militia, thousands of civilians have been killed, while millions have been displaced.
The joint statement, which Mr. Fletcher shared on X, called for a three-month truce “to enable the swift entry of humanitarian aid to all parts of Sudan, to lead immediately to a permanent ceasefire,” and to be followed by a nine-month transition process towards a civilian government.
The call for a pause to the fighting was one of the five principles laid out in the statement. The remaining principles included an end to external military support, the facilitation by all parties of humanitarian access, territorial integrity, and agreement that there is no military solution to the conflict.
Additionally, the countries highlighted in the statement their commitment “to restoring peace and ending the suffering of the Sudanese people,” and their readiness to work with African and Arab states, as well as the UN and international partners.
‘Safe access is urgent’
UN entities including the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, and the World Food Programme (WFP) continue to monitor the conflict and provide humanitarian assistance to Sudan.
WFP chief Cindy McCain also welcomed the joint statement in a post on X earlier this week saying that “safe access is urgent,” and that “this call must become reality on the ground.”
In the country’s capital Khartoum last week, OCHA reported that local authorities made progress in restoring basic services and improving security, but over 800,000 people who returned to the city in recent months require critical support to rebuild their lives.
Over 30 million people in a population of just under 47 million in Sudan are currently in need, according to OCHA. The agency delivers life-saving aid to around 20 million of the most vulnerable.
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