Arabic news roundup
By William Greenwood
A fuel crisis and economic paralysis are strangling Sudan, amid warnings of an imminent famine
Areas under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as those held by the RSF, are experiencing a severe bottleneck and an unprecedented shortage of petroleum products, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and complicating the situation to an unprecedented degree.
Eyewitnesses and residents report that recent airstrikes by both sides have directly targeted the vital infrastructure essential for the survival of the population and the state itself, with the price of a gallon of gasoline at most fuel stations in Khartoum at approximately 48,800 Sudanese pounds (about $4.80), while the price for a gallon of diesel stands at 45,000 Sudanese pounds (about $4.50).
The agricultural sector - the primary lifeline for the country’s food security - has been dealt a devastating blow by the lack of fuel and diesel required to operate irrigation pumps and agricultural machinery, leading to a reduction in cultivated land and the destruction of strategic crops, such as sorghum and wheat.
Conversely, the Sudanese government refuses to acknowledge the existence of a food crisis, and in recent statements published this week, Minister of Finance Gibril Ibrahim asserted that claims circulated by certain external parties suggesting that Sudan is nearing famine are untrue.
From a humanitarian perspective, aid workers report that the current fuel shortage has brought the movement of trucks and relief convoys operated by the United Nations and international organisations to a near-complete standstill.
Reports from international institutions, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, confirm that the Sudanese economy has contracted by a catastrophic margin - exceeding 40% cumulatively - since the conflict began.
UN reports warn that if the conflict persists and assets continue to be depleted, poverty rates in Sudan could climb to between 70% and 80%, in which scenario the majority of the population would be forced to live on less than two dollars a day, with no social safety nets in place.
From: Sudan Tribune
Over 15 million sudanese in need of shelter amid funding shortages
The United Nations has warned that the conflict in Sudan continues to deepen the suffering of civilians. Shifts in front lines are forcing more families to flee, leaving many without shelter amid a severe lack of funding.
In a joint statement, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) stated that approximately 15.4 million people are in urgent need of emergency shelter and basic household supplies, a figure that includes millions who have attempted to return to their home areas.
The statement noted that humanitarian agencies are currently able to provide assistance to only about 10% of those in need due to funding constraints, creating a vast gap between mounting needs and the resources available to address them.
Aboubacar Jallo, Deputy Representative for the UNHCR in Sudan, remarked in a press statement that three out of every four displaced people in the country are women and children.
Mohamed Refaat, Chief of Mission for the IOM in Sudan, stated that the organisation’s warehouses are now completely empty.
The humanitarian response plan has received only 47% of the $2.9 billion requested, compelling humanitarian agencies to further scale back essential services..
From: Darfur24
Preliminary Committee of the Doctors' Syndicate: health situation in Sudan is critical
The Preliminary Committee of the Sudan Doctors' Syndicate has announced that tuberculosis (TB) cases in Gezira State have risen to 100, with 288 new cases of viral hepatitis also recorded, while Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned of an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases in Darfur driven by a shortage of vaccines, the breakdown of cold-chain infrastructure, and widening immunity gaps.
Dr. Adiba Ibrahim Al-Sayed, spokesperson for the Preliminary Committee of the Sudan Doctors' Syndicate, told Radio Dabanga that TB cases in Gezira State have reached 100, as well as noting an increase in malaria cases across all strains to approximately 405, in addition to 112 recorded cases of dengue fever.
The spokesperson explained that the dengue fever outbreak in Sennar State and the city of Singa has continued to spread, with the total number of cases reaching 5,470, while the death toll from the disease has risen to approximately 248 so far.
Regarding the health situation in Darfur, she described conditions in the Jebel Marra region and its surrounding areas as dire, stating that environmental degradation and the absence of basic necessities have led to a severe humanitarian and health crisis, exacerbated by malnutrition; this has resulted in the deaths of 687 young children, alongside 388 recorded deaths among the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals suffering from chronic illnesses.
In a report, MSF stated that outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise in Darfur, amid widening immunisation gaps and the disruption of routine vaccination services resulting from the ongoing war, displacement, and a shortage of medical supplies.
The organisation noted that it has observed the highest burden of vaccine-preventable diseases in the areas of Deribat, Nyala, Kas, and Turun Tonga, as well as their surrounding regions in South Darfur.
It further reported that approximately 95% of vaccination sites in the state lack freezing or refrigeration equipment, forcing some teams to resort to primitive and ineffective methods, such as using blocks of ice, to keep vaccines at the required temperatures despite the intense heat.
From: Dabanga