While the number of war dead in Sudan has risen to more than 500, the spokesman for the Sudanese Red Crescent, Osama Abu Bakr, said that the bodies of the victims represent a major problem, pointing out in televised statements today (Monday) that there are hundreds of dead bodies and thousands of injured as a result of the clashes. He said that the truce currently in effect between the Sudanese army forces and the Rapid Support Forces has helped paramedics provide medical support to hospitals, adding: We are working to identify safe paths for medical aid to arrive. He stressed the existence of a deficit in the hospitals’ ability to absorb the number of injured, revealing the seizure of two cars belonging to the Red Crescent branch in Khartoum. Abu Bakr stressed that the Sudanese Red Crescent supports the renewal of the truce continuously to facilitate the work of relief organizations.
For his part, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths warned (Sunday) that the humanitarian situation in Sudan has reached a breaking point, two weeks after the outbreak of clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. He added in a statement that he would go to the region to discuss how to provide immediate relief to the millions of people whose lives have been turned upside down by the conflict in Sudan. He pointed out that the intensive looting of the offices and warehouses of the United Nations led to the depletion of most of its supplies in Sudan, and said that the organization is looking for urgent ways to bring in and distribute additional supplies.
