TAWILA, Darfur:Sudanianews
the Sudan Liberation Movement in the Liberated Territories (SLM/AW) has declared a state of famine in Jebel Marra, Tawila, and Ein Siro, warning that more than ten million civilians and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
Civil Authority of Sudan Liberation Movement in the Liberated Territories Declares State of Famine amid Severe Deterioration of Humanitarian Conditions Inside Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps To: – – – The Local, Regional, and international actors; The Secretary –General of the United Nations; International Relief Organizations and Humanitarian Agencies. The Civil Authority issue this statement as we observe with grave concern the unfolding trajectory of a worsening and unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, which is afflicting the lives of more than ten million civilians and internally displaced persons(IDPs) who have fled the atrocities of the ongoing war. These populations are enduring exceptionally severe living and health conditions within displacement camps and throughout the geographical scope of the liberated territories that fall under the sovereignty of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Mr. Abdul Wahid Mohamed Ahmed Al Nour (SLM/AW) (Jebel Marra, Tawila, Ein Siro). The statement encompasses the following points: – First: On behalf of the Civil Authority in the liberated territories under the sovereignty of the Sudan Liberation Movement, we hereby announce to the Sudanese people and to local, regional and international actors that the areas of Jebel Marra, Tawila, and Ein Siro, as well as the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps attached thereto, have entered a phase of famine catastrophe, with mortality and malnutrition rates having risen sharply among children, women and the elderly, owing to acute shortages of food and medical care. Second: The causes of this deterioration are the denial of humanitarian relief convoys and assistance, and the use of food as a lethal weapon of war against the victims, perpetrated by de facto Islamic Front regime in Port Sudan, coupled with acute shortage of food and life-saving medicines. Furthermore, the failure of the agricultural season owing to insufficient rainfall, alongside the proliferation of epidemics, contamination of drinking water, and the outbreak of diseases against the backdrop of a lack of requisite medical supplies and field hospitals, have collectively resulted in a sharp rise in mortality rates, with between ten and twenty deaths recorded daily within the camps. Third: The Civil Authority solemnly calls upon the United Nations and the Security Council to adopt an urgent resolution to enable the immediate delivery of food and medical assistance, without any administrative or political obstacles; to open and secure corridors and border crossings; to ensure the protection of civilians in war-affected areas; and to compel the parties to the conflict in Sudan to strictly adhere to international humanitarian law. Fourth: Leaving millions of children, women, the elderly and the internally displaced persons in Jebel Marra, Tawila and Ein Siro to face death by starvation constitutes an indelible stain on the conscience of humanity that time will not erase. We hereby place before the international community its moral and legal responsibilities and urge it to take immediate action before it is too late.
Mujeeb al Rahman Mohammed al Zubair Suleiman Head of the Civil Authority in the Liberated Territories
