MSF briefs UN Security Council on Sudan A catastrophic "war on people"

Christopher Lockyear, Secretary General of Doctors Without Borders (MSF),  briefed the United Nations Security Council today on the humanitarian catastrophe caused by war in Sudan, calling for an end to violence against civilians and a new commitment to deliver lifesaving aid.

The war in Sudan is above all a "war on people," Lockyear said. The Sudanese Armed Forces have repeatedly and indiscriminately bombed densely populated areas. The Rapid Support Forces and allied militias have unleashed a campaign of brutality, marked by systematic sexual violence, abductions, mass killings, the looting of humanitarian aid, and the occupation of medical facilities. Both sides have laid siege to towns, destroyed vital civilian infrastructure, and blocked humanitarian aid.

MSF provides medical care in 11 of Sudan's states, on both sides of the conflict, according to humanitarian principles. MSF teams in Sudan have warned of alarming levels of malnutrition in many areas, while infectious and vaccine-preventable diseases are rising. The coming rainy season underlines the urgency of ensuring that people in war-torn areas receive food and medical supplies.

MSF's message to the Council is that the war in Sudan cannot continue to be waged with shameless disregard for civilian lives. After nearly two years, the international response has been far too limited due to obstructions by the warring parties and a lack of accountability, resources and leadership.

"While statements are made in this chamber, civilians remain unseen, unprotected, bombed, besieged, raped, displaced, deprived of food, of medical care, of dignity," Lockyear said. "The humanitarian response falters, crippled by bureaucracy, by insecurity, by hesitation, and by what threatens to become the largest divestment in the history of humanitarian aid."

Lockyear called instead for a new commitment to protect civilians and meet humanitarian needs.

"The crisis in Sudan demands a fundamental shift away from the failed approaches of the past," he said. "Millions of lives depend on it."