Since the beginning of internal fighting in Sudan between the Sudanese army under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces under Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo “Hamidati” in mid-April 2023, news of the deaths of Sudanese civilians has almost become routine news, especially in light of either party’s failure to uphold international covenants and agreements.
Today’s attack by the Sudanese army on Goro Market, a populous neighborhood south of Khartoum, resulted in the deaths of 11 civilians.
Dozens of people were also injured in the attack, and they flocked to Bashaer Hospital, which announced that there was a high demand for medical staff. Due to a lack of medical supplies, almost all Sudanese hospitals in the targeted areas have experienced the same plight.
This medical crisis has gotten worse with the spread of epidemics in the war-torn country, including cholera and malaria, and threats of famine and floods amid a water and electricity crisis.
Despite this tragic situation, the Sudanese authorities refused to cooperate with relief agencies to alleviate the suffering of civilians, as Doctors Without Borders International team was not granted residency visas.
Since the outbreak of the bloody events, 22 hospitals were turned into military barracks after their medical staff were forcibly evacuated, while more than 19 hospitals were targeted, paralysing 70% of the hospitals adjacent to the conflict areas and forcing Sudanese doctors to work in field hospitals.
The international community stands again idly before the bloody fighting in Sudan without taking any decision to alleviate the humanitarian crises facing the Sudanese, including imposing sanctions on any of the conflicting parties or those supporting them. The Security Council did not also meet to end the crisis and did not take any firm decisions to protect the civilians or stop the repeated crimes against them.
Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK appeals to all international organisations to make every effort to prevent a new humanitarian disaster, which has already sparked new waves of refugees, and to find a comprehensive and peaceful solution that protects civilian lives, obligates both parties to respect the laws of war, and removes all barriers to aid organisations’ work in Sudan.
