Head of German NGO warns of humanitarian crisis in Sudan

The head of German non-governmental aid agency Welthungerhilfe has described the situation in conflict-ridden Sudan as increasingly dire.

After returning from a visit to the crisis state in north-east Africa, Matthias Mogge, Secretary General of Welthungerhilfe, described overcrowded refugee centres, increasingly difficult supply logistics and intensifying fighting in the country's civil war.

Sudan has been gripped by conflict following a split between the army and a militia faction last year.

The de facto head of Sudan, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his former deputy and leader of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, have been fighting for power since April 2023.

According to UN figures, Sudan is now the country with the most refugees and displaced persons in the world. Close to 8 million people have fled within the country or across the borders due to the fighting.

Humanitarian workers are facing enormous problems, Mogge said. In the western province of Darfur, the supply situation is catastrophic and hunger is on the rise, he told dpa in Nairobi on Friday.

"As a humanitarian organization, we fear that the situation is likely to worsen in the coming months. The few reserves that were still there have now been used up."

In addition, Mogge said access to the starving people in Darfur is limited.

In the north-eastern harbour city of Port Sudan, where many have fled as a result of the fighting in the capital Khartoum, the influx has caused enormous problems, Mogge told dpa.

"You can already see that the authorities and the country have huge problems accommodating and receiving these refugees."