Sudan facing crisis ‘beyond imagination,’ UN humanitarian chief says

Sudan facing crisis ‘beyond imagination,’ UN humanitarian chief says
People carry parcels of meat from freshly-slaughtered sacrificial animals in the eastern city of Gedaref. (File/AFP)
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Updated 30 June 2024
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Sudan facing crisis ‘beyond imagination,’ UN humanitarian chief says

Sudan facing crisis ‘beyond imagination,’ UN humanitarian chief says
  • 2024 Sudan humanitarian needs and response plan only received 17% of required funds

LONDON: Sudan is facing a humanitarian crisis “beyond imagination,” according to Martin Griffiths, the UN’s undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, with 750,000 people at imminent risk of famine and conditions set to deteriorate further.

In an interview with The Guardian, Griffiths contrasted the intense media coverage and diplomatic focus on Gaza with the unfolding and largely overlooked human-made tragedy in Sudan.

Statistics released by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification on Tuesday reveal that 495,000 Palestinians in Gaza are facing catastrophic conditions, characterized by an “extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities” over the next six months.

In Sudan, however, an estimated 755,262 people are facing similar “phase 5” catastrophic conditions, with an additional 8.5 million people in “phase 4” emergency conditions, marked by acute malnutrition, high disease levels, and a rapidly increasing risk of hunger-related deaths.

“These are staggering numbers. It’s beyond imagination,” Griffiths said. “I think historically it is a huge moment.”

Griffiths concurred with US officials’ estimates that, without improved access to humanitarian relief and increased international donations, the situation in Sudan could surpass the historic famine in Ethiopia, which resulted in the deaths of 1 million people between 1983 and 1985, according to UN estimates.

“Sudan is comparable in horror, in potential tragedy, if not worse. But it’s not moving in the right direction, and it’s not getting international attention on the level it should,” Griffith said.

“There was massive international attention (on the Ethiopian famine), and massive generosity … whereas in Sudan, partly because journalists aren’t given visas to get to places, it’s very difficult to get the story out.”

The 2024 Sudan humanitarian needs and response plan, launched late last year, called for $2.7 billion to address the crisis. However, as of this week, only 17 percent of the required funds had been raised, reflecting the average global response rate for humanitarian appeals.

“Tragically, it’s not that unusual these days,” he said. “It’s partly because the needs have grown, but the funding hasn’t.”

A critical issue in western Sudan’s Darfur region is the blockade of aid at the Adre crossing from Chad by Sudanese armed forces. Griffiths mentioned ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the blockade, potentially through an inspection regime to ensure no arms accompany the food aid. However, he cautioned that time is running out to prevent the worst-case scenarios.

“The worry is that we are not going to get the seeds in to do the planting season, and it’s going to get worse,” he said.

In Gaza, Griffiths noted that the number of Palestinians facing catastrophic famine had halved since March, when over a million people were at risk. He attributed the improvement to the influx of humanitarian aid in March and April, demonstrating that “aid works” and can swiftly rescue people from famine, starvation, and disease.

However, since the limited opening of crossings into Gaza in early spring, Israel’s offensive on Rafah has displaced over a million people into central Gaza, closed the main aid access point, and exacerbated gang violence and insecurity, now the primary obstacles to food distribution.

“We have now gone down to practically nothing,” Griffiths said.

While acknowledging the issues of criminality and mob looting in Gaza, Griffiths insisted that Israel, as the occupying power, remains responsible for ensuring the security of humanitarian aid deliveries.

“The Israelis have an obligation under international laws to provide security for humanitarian aid, so it’s not right to say they’re not the problem,” Griffiths said. “They are part of the process that is needed to ensure the security of humanitarian deliveries.”
 


US believes Israel, Lebanon have agreed terms to end Israel-Hezbollah conflict

US believes Israel, Lebanon have agreed terms to end Israel-Hezbollah conflict
Updated 40 min 43 sec ago
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US believes Israel, Lebanon have agreed terms to end Israel-Hezbollah conflict

US believes Israel, Lebanon have agreed terms to end Israel-Hezbollah conflict

WASHINGTON: Israel and Lebanon have agreed to the terms of a deal to end the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, Axios reported on Monday citing an unnamed senior US official.
Israel’s government on Monday said it was moving toward a ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah but there were still outstanding issues.


Arrest Warrant: UK would follow ‘due process’ if Netanyahu were to visit – foreign minister

Arrest Warrant: UK would follow ‘due process’ if Netanyahu were to visit – foreign minister
Updated 52 min 3 sec ago
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Arrest Warrant: UK would follow ‘due process’ if Netanyahu were to visit – foreign minister

Arrest Warrant: UK would follow ‘due process’ if Netanyahu were to visit – foreign minister
  • ICC issued arrest warrants on Thursday against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
  • Several EU states have said they will meet commitments under the statute if needed

FIUGGI: Britain would follow due process if Benjamin Netanyahu visited the UK, foreign minister David Lammy said on Monday, when asked if London would fulfil the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister.
“We are signatories to the Rome Statute, we have always been committed to our obligations under international law and international humanitarian law,” Lammy told reporters at a G7 meeting in Italy.
“Of course, if there were to be such a visit to the UK, there would be a court process and due process would be followed in relation to those issues.”
The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri for alleged crimes against humanity.
Several EU states have said they will meet their commitments under the statute if needed, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to visit his country, assuring him he would face no risks if he did so.
“The states that signed the Rome convention must implement the court’s decision. It’s not optional,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, said during a visit to Cyprus for a workshop of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.
Those same obligations were also binding on countries aspiring to join the EU, he said.

 

 


Turkiye man kills seven before taking his own life

Turkiye man kills seven before taking his own life
Updated 25 November 2024
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Turkiye man kills seven before taking his own life

Turkiye man kills seven before taking his own life

Istanbul: A 33-year-old Turkish man shot dead seven people in Istanbul on Sunday, including his parents, his wife and his 10-year-old son, before taking his own life, the authorities reported on Monday.
The man, who was found dead in his car shortly after the shooting, is also accused of wounding two other family members, one of them seriously, the Istanbul governor’s office said in a statement.
The authorities, who had put the death toll at four on Sunday evening, announced on Monday the discovery near a lake on Istanbul’s European shore of the bodies of the killer’s wife and son, as well as the lifeless body of his mother-in-law.
According to the Small Arms Survey (SAS), a Swiss research program, over 13.2 million firearms are in circulation in Turkiye, most of them illegally, for a population of around 85 million.


2 Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in West Bank: PA

2 Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in West Bank: PA
Updated 25 November 2024
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2 Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in West Bank: PA

2 Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in West Bank: PA
  • The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli forces entered the village on Sunday night

Yabad: The Palestinian Authority said two Palestinians, including a teenage boy, were killed during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank village of Yabad.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli forces entered the village on Sunday night, leading to clashes during which soldiers shot dead two Palestinians.
The two dead were identified by the Palestinian health ministry as Muhammad Rabie Hamarsheh, 13, and Ahmad Mahmud Zaid, 20.
“Overnight, during an IDF (Israeli army) counterterrorism activity in the area of Yabad, two terrorists hurled explosives at IDF soldiers. The soldiers responded with fire and hits were identified,” an Israeli military source told AFP.
Last week, the Israeli army launched several raids in the West Bank city of Jenin, killing nine people, most of them Palestinian militants.
Violence in the West Bank has soared since the war in Gaza erupted on October 7 last year after Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 777 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to the Ramallah-based health ministry.
Palestinian attacks on Israelis have also killed at least 24 people in the West Bank in the same period, according to Israeli official figures.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.


Israel says hit Hezbollah command center in deadly weekend strike

Israel says hit Hezbollah command center in deadly weekend strike
Updated 25 November 2024
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Israel says hit Hezbollah command center in deadly weekend strike

Israel says hit Hezbollah command center in deadly weekend strike
  • The strike hit a residential building in the heart of Beirut before dawn Saturday
  • Since September 23, Israel has intensified its Lebanon air campaign

JERUSALEM: The Israeli army on Monday said it had struck a Hezbollah command center in the downtown Beirut neighborhood of Basta in a deadly air strike at the weekend.
“The IDF (Israeli military) struck a Hezbollah command center,” the army said regarding the strike that the Lebanese health ministry said killed 29 people and wounded 67 on Saturday.
The strike hit a residential building in the heart of Beirut before dawn Saturday, leaving a large crater, AFP journalists at the scene reported.
A senior Lebanese security source said that “a high-ranking Hezbollah officer was targeted” in the strike, without confirming whether or not the official had been killed.
Hezbollah official Amin Cherri said no leader of the Lebanese movement was targeted in Basta.
Since September 23, Israel has intensified its Lebanon air campaign, later sending in ground troops against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The war followed nearly a year of limited exchanges of fire initiated by Hezbollah in support of its ally Hamas after the Palestinian group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the Gaza war.
The conflict has killed at least 3,754 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the health ministry, most of them since September this year.
On the Israeli side, authorities say at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians have been killed.