Khartoum, Sudan, 17 April 2023 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) condemns and calls for an end to the ongoing fighting in Sudan, Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has led to the death of 56 people and left nearly 600 injured in the clashes.
Four humanitarian workers were killed and two others were seriously injured in the attack in Dafur.
Kurt Tjossem, IRC Regional Vice President, East Africa, said,
“The killing of humanitarian workers and scores of Sudanese is unacceptable. Conflict has disrupted humanitarian action where over a third of the population, an estimated 15 million people including refugees, are experiencing acute food insecurity. Humanitarian actors have limited ability to enter and operate in areas with ongoing war. The IRC calls upon all stakeholders to work without delay to address outstanding issues with a view to achieving a lasting, inclusive political peace.”
The IRC has since stopped its operations throughout the country except for Tunaydbah where the team continues to provide life saving services to the refugee population.
The IRC in Sudan
In Sudan, the IRC supports people impacted by conflict and crisis, including women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, refugees, mixed populations, and host communities. We provide an integrated health, nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programme that maintains basic service provision while actively working to increase local capacity to sustain the service provision. The IRC also provides child protection services and comprehensive women and girls’ protection and empowerment services including gender-based violence (GBV) survivors.