Today (Sunday), the first cargo ship carrying humanitarian aid from the Red Cross arrived in the city of Port Sudan, as part of the emergency operations it has been carrying out since the outbreak of fighting in Sudan.
According to a statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the shipment, which was sent from Amman, weighs eight tons and included surgical equipment to support Sudan’s hospitals and volunteers of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society who provide medical care to the wounded during the fighting. The Red Cross added that it would send a second plane carrying additional medical supplies and emergency personnel.
For his part, Patrick Youssef, Regional Director for Africa at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said in a press conference: “We were able to fly to Port Sudan from Amman as a medical staff with supplies to deal with war-wounded sufficient to stabilize 1,500 wounded, expressing his hope that they will be delivered as soon as possible to Some of the busiest hospitals in Khartoum.
According to the World Health Organization, only 16% of hospitals are functioning, and the situation is very dire due to the lack of personnel and the lack of medical reserves.
He said the Sudanese Red Crescent was trying to reach the bodies in the streets. He added: We hope to obtain permits and security guarantees, we have another medical staff ready, and we also hope to send aid from Nairobi in the coming days.
According to the statement of the International Committee of the Red Cross, health care workers in Sudan are doing the impossible and caring for the wounded without water, electricity or basic medical supplies. The committee called on both parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, to facilitate the work of medical and humanitarian personnel, and to treat detainees humanely.
For its part, the Sudanese Red Crescent reported that the past few days witnessed a large-scale displacement movement from Khartoum, stressing contact with the two parties to the conflict in order to transport the wounded and dead bodies. He pointed out that armed groups looted two ambulances in Omdurman.
And the Sudan Doctors Syndicate announced that the number of civilians killed in the clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has risen to 425, and that 2,091 others have been injured since the beginning of the confrontations. The union added that 16 hospitals have been bombed since the beginning of the conflict, but the statement of the Sudanese Ministry of Health, which was issued on Saturday evening, announced that 528 people were killed and 4,599 others were injured.
