To The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary
After 1,000 days of conflict, Sudan has reached breaking point and is now the world’s worst humanitarian and displacement crisis. But the world’s governments — including the UK — have failed to respond with the urgency, leadership and determination needed.
Almost 12 million people have been driven from their homes, more than half of them women and children. 7.2 million people are currently displaced inside Sudan, many living in overcrowded camps facing extreme hunger and disease outbreaks, with millions fleeing across borders into South Sudan and Chad.
For the second time in less than a year, famine has been confirmed by the IPC in parts of Sudan. This hunger crisis is not inevitable — it is being driven by conflict, the destruction of markets and agriculture, collapsing health services and the obstruction of aid.
This emergency has already caused immense suffering. Without decisive action, fighting could spread even further and could destabilise neighbouring countries.
The UK has a crucial role to play and has demonstrated moments of political leadership, but its response has fallen short. As UN Security Council penholder, the UK has a unique platform to shape international action and push for stronger leadership on protection, humanitarian access, and famine prevention.
The UK must now step up and use its influence to break international paralysis, mitigate the widespread suffering of civilians, stabilise the region and prevent an even greater catastrophe.
Alongside 12 other UK leading aid charities we’re calling on the UK Government to take urgent, concrete action to end suffering in Sudan in the following ways:
- Scale-up diplomatic efforts, including through the UN Security Council, to push for an immediate, nationwide ceasefire as the first step towards lasting peace.
- Protect civilians, aid workers and local emergency responders by backing efforts to prevent further attacks, atrocities and International Humanitarian Law violations.
- Secure rapid, safe, sustained humanitarian access across Sudan, especially to conflict-affected and besieged areas, so aid can reach every community in need.
- Increase funding now, especially to local aid groups and women-led organisations, to help stop famine spreading further and provide life-saving assistance and services especially to women and children forced to flee their homes.
- Support a regional response to this crisis, working with neighbouring countries to increase humanitarian assistance to refugees, enable safe cross-border access for humanitarian aid, and prevent the conflict from spreading further.
After more than 1,000 days of warnings and international inaction, the crisis in Sudan has reached catastrophic levels - with suffering on a scale that could have been prevented. Women, children and communities in Sudan and across the region can wait no longer.
