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	Sudan’s warring parties must commit to an immediate cease-fire, end attacks on civilians by UN News, OCHA, UNICEF, OHCHR, agencies   8 Apr 2025   Statement by Jan Egeland, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Secretary General on the two-year mark of the Sudan crisis:   “This week, we mark two years of war in Sudan which have caused one of the most harrowing crises of our generation, with the forced displacement of nearly 15 million people. Armed men have for more than 700 days and nights attacked defenceless civilians with impunity. Civilians have not been protected, and peace efforts have failed.   “We are witnessing a confluence of catastrophic factors—the widespread violence that has caused the deepest humanitarian collapse in Sudan’s history is exacerbated by the most severe US funding cuts ever, on top of aid cuts by several European donors. Programmes that once provided vital support have been forced to shut down, leaving millions without the basic means to survive.   Around 25 million people are facing devastating hunger, and yet we have been forced to stop our support to farmers, whose produce is essential to help us avert famine wherever it hasn’t struck yet.   We have been forced to close down aid access centres for displaced and vulnerable people where they could seek our services. And we have had to scale down on education for thousands of children who desperately need it. This is the darkest hour for Sudan.   “Neighbouring countries hosting more than three million refugees and returnees, including Chad and South Sudan, now bear the weight of overflowing refugee populations while facing crises of their own. This is not merely a policy failure; it is a moral failure. We must not allow self-interest to overshadow our fundamental responsibility to save lives.   “I call on the global community to reverse these misguided funding shifts and recommit to protecting humanity. Our actions in this critical moment will determine whether we choose compassion or conflict over the future of our shared humanity.”   http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/april/sudans-darkest-hour http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-two-years-war-starvation-global-failure-world-must-act-now http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/04/sudan-faces-worsening-humanitarian-catastrophe-famine-and-conflict-escalate http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/04/sudan-turk-decries-catastrophic-cost-inaction-conflict-approaches-third-year http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-23-children-and-9-aid-workers-reportedly-killed-al-fasher-abu-shouk-and-zamzam http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/attacks-zamzam-and-abu-shouk-camps-and-al-fasher-must-end-now-statement-united-nations-resident-and-humanitarian-coordinator-sudan-clementine-nkweta-salami http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/04/1162116 http://news.un.org/en/interview/2025/04/1162131   http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/sudan-new-report-sheds-light-two-years-devastation-sudan http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-calls-urgent-access-preposition-food-sudan-rainy-season-risks-cutting-roads-starving http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/two-years-war-sudan-devastating-combination-record-displacement-and-dwindling http://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/aid-cuts-shut-down-critical-services-sudanese-refugees-chad http://prezly.msf.org.uk/msf-sudans-two-years-of-war-embargoed-until-14-april http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-crisis-two-years   17 Feb. 2025   UN urges global action to protect and support civilians devastated by Sudan’s war.   Nearly two years of conflict have fueled a catastrophic protection crisis and displaced a staggering 12 million people in Sudan and across borders.   Fighting continues to kill and injure civilians and destroy hospitals, markets and other essential infrastructure. Nearly two-thirds of the population need emergency aid, and the country is facing famine conditions. Refugees in dire need arrive in neighbouring countries where local resources are already stretched thin.   In response, the United Nations and partners today launch the 2025 humanitarian and refugee response plans for Sudan, appealing for a combined US$6 billion to assist nearly 26 million people inside the country and in the region.   “Sudan is a humanitarian emergency of shocking proportions,” said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher. “Famine is taking hold. An epidemic of sexual violence rages.   Children are being killed and injured. The suffering is appalling. But our plan is a lifeline to millions. We need to stop the fighting, the funding to deliver for the Sudanese people, and better access by land, sea and air to those who need help.”   “Today, one-third of Sudan’s entire population is displaced. The consequences of this horrific and senseless conflict spread far beyond Sudan’s borders,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.   “Neighbouring countries have shown great solidarity by welcoming refugees, even when more are arriving every day. But their resources are stretched – essentials such as water, shelter and health services are scarce – and Sudan needs urgent support.   The international community must step up and help, not just to ensure that emergency aid and life-saving protection can continue without disruption, but also to end the violence and restore peace to Sudan.”   Famine conditions have been reported in at least five locations in Sudan including displacement camps in Darfur and in the western Nuba Mountains. Catastrophic hunger is expected to worsen by May when the lean season begins. With continued fighting and basic services having collapsed across most of the country, the crisis is set to get worse.   The Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Sudan aims to reach nearly 21 million vulnerable people with life-saving aid and protection. This is the highest number of people in any UN-coordinated plan this year and requires $4.2 billion in support.   As the conflict rages on, thousands continue to flee every day. The majority arrive in an extremely vulnerable state, with high levels of malnutrition and requiring emergency assistance. To date, nearly 3.5 million people have sought safety in neighbouring countries further stretching already scarce services and resources.   The Regional Refugee Response Plan will prioritize the delivery of life-saving assistance and protection, including emergency shelters, relocation from border areas to safer locations, psychosocial support, clean water, healthcare and education.   Humanitarian partners will need $1.8 billion to support 4.8 million people in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda. The plan also aims to help host countries strengthen national services and implement programmes that will help bring stability.   Without immediate funding, two-thirds of refugee children will be denied access to primary education, threatening an entire generation. Up to 4.8 million refugees and host community members will continue to face severe food insecurity, with at least 1.8 million going without food assistance. Already strained health systems may collapse.   Achievements in 2024   With US$1.8 billion in support last year, humanitarian organizations reached more than 15.6 million people across Sudan. Assistance included food and livelihoods support for more than 13 million people as well as water, sanitation and hygiene support, health and nutrition, and shelter assistance.   Humanitarian organizations working in neighbouring countries provided lifesaving assistance delivering food to over a million people, medical support to half a million and protection services to over 800,000.   http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/un-urges-global-action-protect-and-support-civilians-devastated-sudans-war-enar http://www.unocha.org/news/un-urges-global-action-protect-and-support-civilians-devastated-sudans-war http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/un-urges-global-action-protect-and-support-civilians-devastated-sudan-s-war   26 Jan. 2025   Scores killed in hospital attack in Sudan’s besieged El Fasher, says WHO. (Agencies)   70 people have been killed in an attack on the only functional hospital in the besieged city of El Fasher in Sudan, the head of the World Health Organization has said, the latest in a series of attacks as the African nation’s civil war has escalated in recent days.   “The appalling attack on Saudi hospital in El Fasher, Sudan, led to 19 injuries and 70 deaths among patients and companions,” the WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said. “At the time of the attack, the hospital was packed with patients receiving care.”   Another health facility in Al Malha also was attacked on Saturday, he added. “We continue to call for a cessation of all attacks on health care in Sudan, and to allow full access for the swift restoration of the facilities that have been damaged,” he wrote. “Above all, Sudan’s people need peace. The best medicine is peace.”   Tedros did not say who had launched the attack, though local officials blamed the RSF for the assault.   Clementine Nkweta-Salami, a UN official who coordinates humanitarian efforts in Sudan, warned on Thursday that the RSF had given “a 48-hour ultimatum to forces allied to the Sudanese Armed Forces to vacate the city and indicated a forthcoming offensive”.   “Since May 2024, El Fasher has been under RSF siege,” she said. “Civilians in El Fasher have already endured months of suffering, violence and gross human rights abuses under the prolonged siege. Their lives now hang in the balance due to an increasingly precarious situation.”   The RSF did not immediately acknowledge the attack in El Fasher, which is more than 800km (500 miles) south-west of Khartoum. The city is now estimated to be home to more than 1 million people, many of whom have been displaced by the war.   The RSF siege had killed 782 civilians and wounded more than 1,140 others, the UN said in December, warning the true figures were likely to be higher.   http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/attack-hospital-al-fasher-shocking-violation-and-affront-humanity-statement-united-nations-resident-and-humanitarian-coordinator-sudan-clementine-nkweta-salami http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/01/1159501 http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/statement-ingo-forum-sudan-attacks-critical-civilian-infrastructure http://www.msf.org/sudan-malnutrition-crisis-msf-renews-call-immediate-action-prevent-death-and-starvation   23 Jan. 2025   Grave concerns over imminent threat to civilians in Al Fasher - Statement by the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami:   I am deeply alarmed about reports of an imminent attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Al Fasher, North Darfur State, and continue to be gravely concerned about the safety of civilians caught in crossfires.   The RSF's statement issued on 20 January 2025 gave a 48-hour ultimatum to forces allied to the Sudanese Armed Forces to vacate the city and indicated a forthcoming offensive.   Since May 2024, Al Fasher has been under RSF siege. Civilians in Al Fasher have already endured months of suffering, violence and gross human rights abuses under the prolonged siege. Their lives now hang in the balance due to an increasingly precarious situation.   The innocent men, women and children in Al Fasher and across Sudan deserve a tomorrow free from the shadow of war. Their cries for peace and safety must no longer fall on deaf ears.   I appeal to all sides to the conflict in Sudan to think of the many innocent lives at stake. I urge them to de-escalate tensions and prioritize the protection of civilians, as mandated by their obligations under international humanitarian law.   Further violence will only deepen the tragedy for civilians and hinder prospects for peace and stability in Sudan.   http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/grave-concerns-over-imminent-threat-civilians-al-fasher-statement-united-nations-resident-and-humanitarian-coordinator-sudan-clementine-nkweta-salami http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/01/sudan-concern-civilians-over-likely-offensive-el-fasher http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/12/sudan-alarming-el-fasher-siege-hostilities-must-end-un-report http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/01/sudan-conflict-taking-more-dangerous-turn-civilians http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/sudan-attacks-critical-civilian-infrastructure-amid-escalating-fighting http://reliefweb.int/report/chad/war-sudan-nearly-one-million-people-forcibly-displaced-chad   Dec. 2024   Sudan: Famine expands as conflict drives catastrophic hunger to more areas. (IPC)   Twenty months into the conflict, Sudan continues to slide into a widening Famine crisis characterized by widespread starvation and a significant surge in acute malnutrition.   The IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) has detected Famine in at least five areas and projects that five additional areas will face Famine between December 2024 and May 2025. Furthermore, there is a risk of Famine in seventeen additional areas.   Half of the population (24.6 million people) is facing high levels of acute food insecurity. This marks an unprecedented deepening and widening of the food and nutrition crisis, driven by the devastating conflict, which has triggered unprecedented mass displacement, a collapsing economy, the breakdown of essential social services, and severe societal disruptions, and poor humanitarian access.   According to the FRC, Famine (IPC Phase 5) detected in August 2024 in Zamzam camp, North Darfur state, has persisted and expanded to Al Salam and Abu shouk camps and the Western Nuba Mountains for the period October to November 2024. Between December 2024 and May 2025, Famine is projected to expand in North Darfur localities including Um Kadadah, Melit, El Fasher, At Tawisha, and Al Lait.   There is a risk of Famine in the Central Nuba Mountains (including in Delami, Western Kadugli, Um Durein, and Al Buram localities), and in areas likely to experience high influxes of IDPs in North and South Darfur. These include Tawila, Nyala Janoub, Nyala Shimal, Beliel, Shattaya, As Sunta, Buram, and Kas in South Darfur, as well as Medani Al Kubra and Sharg Al Jazirah in Al Jazirah State, Mayo and Alingaz in Jebel – Awilia, Khartoum state and Al Firdous in East Darfur state.   This latest IPC analysis shows that food insecurity is at worse levels than foreseen. Between December and May, 24.6 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). These results mark a stark increase of 3.5 million people compared to the number originally projected and correspond to over half of the population of Sudan.   This includes about 15.9 million people (33 percent) classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis), 8.1 million people (17 percent) in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), and at least 638,000 people (1 percent) in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe).   http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-117/en/ http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-2025-overview http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-urges-security-council-action-famine-conditions-spread-sudan http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/01/1158756 http://www.wfp.org/news/food-and-nutrition-crisis-deepens-across-sudan-famine-identified-additional-areas http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-2025-executive-summary-issued-december-2024   12 Nov. 2024   Briefing to the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Sudan by Ramesh Rajasingham, Director, Coordination Division, OCHA:   Eighteen months into this conflict, the people of Sudan continue to endure unimaginable suffering amid unrelenting brutal violence.   There are no signs of respite. Indeed, troubling projections suggest the conflict is poised to escalate yet further. We continue to receive reports of civilian casualties caused by heavy fighting in populated areas.   We also continue to receive reports of shocking atrocities – most recently of mass killings and horrific sexual violence in Aj Jazirah State.   This has become a sickening hallmark of this conflict. Women and girls continue to be at the centre of the horrendous suffering, as displacement and hunger put them at increased risk of gender-based violence and sexual violence, exploitation and abuse.   Civilians continue to flee for their lives both within Sudan and across its borders, in what is now the world's largest displacement crisis. More than 11 million people have been displaced since April of last year – nearly 3 million of whom have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.   More than 400,000 people have been displaced in El Fasher locality in the past six months, according to the International Organization for Migration. As fighting rages in West Darfur and North Darfur, 58,000 people crossed into Chad during the month of October alone, bringing the total number of new arrivals in eastern Chad to more than 710,000 people.   And more than 836,000 people have arrived to South Sudan from Sudan since the start of the crisis, including more than 644,000 refugee returnees, according to the UN Refugee Agency.   This conflict has not only driven a major displacement crisis. It has also unleashed a severe hunger crisis affecting millions of people across Sudan. According to the last Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, analysis in June, more than 750,000 people were facing the very highest levels of food insecurity and famine conditions.   In the period since the last report, we have seen further displacement, continuing constraints on humanitarian access and an intensification of conflict in several areas.   This includes Aj Jazirah, Khartoum, Sennar and North Darfur, states which were already experiencing some of the highest levels of acute food insecurity in the country.   In North Darfur, fighting in and around El Fasher continues to intensify and block the movement of aid supplies into the area. This is an area that includes the Zamzam displacement camp, where – as the Members of the Council are aware – famine conditions were confirmed in July.   A recent nutrition screening in Zamzam indicated worsening malnutrition, which is threatening the lives of thousands of children. About 34 per cent of the children are malnourished, including 10 per cent who are severely malnourished.   And we are now seeing troubling indications that deepening food insecurity is spreading to other areas, with reports in recent weeks of particularly alarming levels of hunger in South Kordofan.   I just cannot put strongly enough how serious this situation is. Hostilities and violence have claimed the lives of thousands of people in Sudan. Hunger, malnutrition and diseases threaten to claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of people more.   The international community must take what’s happening in Sudan seriously and must take urgent action to address it. This must include immediately ensuring improved humanitarian access. Humanitarian organizations remain unable to reach the vast majority of people in conflict hotspots across Sudan at anything approaching adequate scale.   Some areas are completely cut off. Others can only be reached after navigating complicated procedures that delay and impede deliveries.   We urgently need the parties to ensure the safe, rapid, unimpeded movement of both relief supplies and humanitarian personnel via all available routes, with the maximum possible flexibility.   We call for agreements on humanitarian pauses to facilitate the provision of assistance into, and the voluntary movement of civilians out of, areas of active hostilities. In short, we call on the parties to turn their repeatedly stated commitment to their obligations under international humanitarian law into a real step change on the ground.   We are deeply concerned by the alarming trajectory of this conflict. While it has already unleashed horrendous suffering, the conditions are there for it to claim exponentially more lives. We call on the Security Council – and all Member States with influence – to take immediate unfettered action to address this situation.   The first priority, as the Secretary-General has clearly said, is for civilians to be protected. Second, we need humanitarian access to be facilitated through all necessary routes. Third, we need continued flexible financial support, so that humanitarian organizations can provide urgent assistance where they can, as well as scale up the response both inside Sudan and in neighbouring countries.   And finally, as always, we call for urgent steps to bring the fighting to an end and secure desperately needed peace in Sudan.   http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-urges-security-council-act-sudan-faces-unimaginable-suffering-amid-escalating-violence http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-polycrisis-sudan-needs-worlds-attention http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1157361 http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/november/sudan-world-ignores-countdown-to-famine/   14 Oct. 2024   Urgent Action: Sudan is facing the world's largest hunger crisis - World Food Programme, Food Security Cluster, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.   Severe Acute Food Insecurity has massively increased since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan, leaving over half of the country experiencing severe food insecurity. Urgent action and resources are required to prevent further deterioration and escalation of needs.   Over 18 months of unending conflict has caused 25.6 million people in Sudan to fall into severe acute food insecurity. Famine was confirmed in Zamzam IDPs camp of North Darfur by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and is projected in 14 other areas as the conflict escalates further.   The latest IPC alert has classified 755,000 people as living in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5), the most severe food insecurity classification on the IPC scale, as people are experiencing destitution and starvation, having exhausted coping mechanisms to access food and proper nutrition.   The situation is especially critical for populations trapped in areas affected by direct conflict or insecurity, and lack protection, particularly in Greater Darfur, Greater Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazirah states.   At least 534,000 IDPs and refugees in conflict-affected localities and states - representing around 20 percent of the displaced population in Sudan - face catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 4 or 5). Additionally, the crisis in Sudan is spilling over to neighboring countries and affecting the entire region.   Over 2.3 million refugees have fled the country across borders, primarily to Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan. This surge in displacement is adding considerable strain to surrounding countries and humanitarian operations.   Urgent action must be taken to prevent the spread of hunger. Without the immediate allocation of resources and a ceasefire, millions of highly food insecure people will see their conditions deteriorate to catastrophe levels, or worse be simply left with no assistance at all.   The Food Security and Livelihood Cluster (FSLC) is calling on the international community to step up:   Mobilize adequate funding to bridge the gap between the current level of resources and scale of needs, so as to effectively continue assisting the 11.4 million people targeted in most need. To deliver emergency lifesaving food assistance. Provide emergency lifesaving and life-sustaining agriculture and livelihoods support to the most vulnerable farmers. Pursue ongoing negotiation and restore humanitarian access to the most in need.   Full rations must be distributed to populations in hunger hotspots – residents, newly displaced, protracted IDPs and refugees alike -to stabilize food security outlook and prevent further deteriorations.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/un-agencies-warn-spiraling-sudan-crisis-civilians-face-grave-risks-and-famine-threat http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/severe-food-insecurity-risk-escalating-sudan-facing-worlds-largest-hunger-crisis http://fscluster.org/sudan/document/severe-food-insecurity-risk-escalating http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/10/sudan-faces-one-worst-famines-decades-warn-un-experts http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/10/sudan-un-fact-finding-mission-documents-large-scale-sexual-violence-and http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2024/10/sudan-escalating-violence-al-jazirah http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2024/11/27/inside-battle-el-fasher-innocent-lives-are-lost-every-day http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1156211 http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1156266 http://news.un.org/en/tags/sudan http://www.iom.int/news/displacement-sudan-crosses-11-million-devastating-crisis-reaches-new-heights-iom-chief http://www.passblue.com/2024/10/27/can-civilians-stay-alive-in-sudans-war-without-a-protection-force/   7 Oct. 2024   The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, voiced deep concern over the ongoing siege of El Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur, where continued clashes are putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the region at risk.   UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that famine conditions have already been confirmed in the Zamzam camp for the displaced, just outside the city, “and we think that other camps in the area have famine conditions.”   El Fasher is the last city in Darfur held by the national army which has been battling the breakaway rebel RSF militia for control of the country since April last year.   Atrocities continue to be reported elsewhere in North Darfur State, when at least 13 children were killed and a further four were injured during airstrikes in Al Kuma on Friday, according to the UN children’s agency UNICEF.   The violence, coupled with widespread disease outbreaks, is placing millions of Sudanese children at grave risk.   As the Sudan conflict approaches its 18 month-mark, with over 10 million people displaced – half of them children. The conflict has shattered basic services and left millions in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.   The children killed and injured on Friday were between the ages of six and 17. “These attacks on children are unacceptable. Children have no role to play in wars or civil conflict, but children are the ones who are suffering the most as the conflict in Sudan goes on”, said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Sudan.   The tragedy in Al Kuma, is not an isolated incident. UNICEF has received reports of civilians killed and injured in Melit, North Darfur State.   Since the beginning of the conflict, more than 150 schools, and hospitals have been attacked, with health centres, water points and marketplaces destroyed, further compromising the well-being of Sudan’s young population.   UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric: “In the first few days in October alone, tens of thousands of people have been displaced across Sudan due to fighting. This includes in North Darfur, West Darfur and Sennar states, where airstrikes, clashes between rival forces, and insecurity near villages and markets have displaced as many as 42,000 people, both within Sudan and across borders."   “As the conflict continues unabated, we fear this horrendous pattern will persist,” said Mr. Yett. “Thousands of children and families are trapped in areas of violence, insecurity and lack for protection. The continued violence and disregard for children’s safety and rights need to stop.”   The ongoing violence has led to the spread of diseases. Concurrent outbreaks of cholera, dengue, malaria, and measles are affecting at least 12 of Sudan’s 18 states, posing additional risks to children’s health and well-being. “As of Saturday, 21,000 cases of cholera had been reported over the past two months, including more than 600 fatalities of from cholera”, said Mr. Dujarric.   http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/october/staff-accounts-siege-and-bombardment-of-sudans-el-fasher-pushes-children-adults-to-the-limits-of-survival/ http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/september/sudan-if-bullets-miss-hunger-wont http://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/hunger-in-sudan/   http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sudan/statement-un-resident-and-humanitarian-coordinator-sudan-clementine-nkweta-salami-attacks-al-fasher http://www.unicef.org/stories/staggering-crisis-sudan-leaves-families-reeling http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-30-children-reportedly-killed-or-injured-shelling-civilian-areas-sennar-city http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/oct/02/el-fasher-sudan-city-paramilitary-rsf http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudanese-tuti-island-if-you-dont-help-us-we-will-all-be-dead-within-days   Food must be delivered to people starved by blockade in Zamzam camp. (MSF)   The results of a nutrition screening carried out by the Sudanese health authorities and Medecins Sans Frontieres earlier this month in Zamzam camp, North Darfur state, Sudan, indicate that malnutrition is only getting worse. Without supplies, we have been forced to reduce our services. The United Nations and all international stakeholders involved in negotiating broader humanitarian access must consider every option to quickly deliver food and essential supplies to the area, including by airdrops.   “Not only do the results confirm the disaster that we and other stakeholders have been observing and alerting on for months, they also indicate that every day things are getting worse and we’re running out of time,” says Michel Olivier Lacharite, head of emergency operations for MSF. “We are talking about thousands of children who will die over the next few weeks without access to adequate treatment and urgent solutions to allow humanitarian aid and essential goods to reach Zamzam.”   No significant amount of humanitarian aid has reached people in Zamzam camp nor in nearby El-Fasher since 1 August, when the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Famine Review Committee concluded that famine conditions were prevalent in the area.   Most supply roads are controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who have made it all but impossible to bring therapeutic food, medicines, and essential supplies into the camp since the intensification of fighting around El Fasher in May.   There is no more time to waste to avoid thousands of preventable deaths. “The malnutrition rates found during the screening are massive and likely some of the worst in the world currently,” says Claudine Mayer, MSF medical referent.   Zamzam camp is estimated to host between 300,000 and 500,000 people, many of whom have been displaced many times over. They arrived in Zamzam camp fleeing the war that has been tearing up Sudan since last year.   http://www.msf.org/food-must-be-delivered-people-starved-blockade-zamzam-camp http://www.msf.org/sudan-pregnant-women-and-children-dying-shocking-numbers-south-darfur http://www.msf.org/sudan   Aug. 2024   Senior Humanitarian leaders appealed to the UN Security Council for more resources and greater humanitarian access in Sudan, where people are dying of hunger as the war between rival militaries rages on.   Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy at the UN humanitarian affairs office, (OCHA) and Stephen Omollo, Assistant Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), briefed ambassadors in the wake of the recent confirmation of famine in the Zamzam displacement camp, home to 800,000 people.   Zamzam is located near El Fasher, capital of North Darfur state, and the Famine Review Committee also found that famine conditions are also likely present in other camps in and around the city. 13 other areas across the war-ravaged country are also at risk of famine. These are areas with active conflicts such as in Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum, which are worsening by the day.   “This announcement should stop all of us cold because when famine happens, it means we are too late. It means we did not do enough. It means we, the international community, have failed. This is an entirely man-made crisis and a shameful stain on our collective conscience,” said Ms. Wosornu.   She recalled that humanitarians had warned the Council about the risk of famine and widespread insecurity back in March and continued to sound the alarm in subsequent briefings.   “Let me be clear: It is still possible to stop this freight train of suffering that is charging through Sudan. But only if we respond with the urgency that this moment demands,” she insisted.   The Sudanese National Army and a rival, formerly-allied military, known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been battling since April 2023, pushing “millions of civilians into a quagmire of violence and with it, death, injury and inhumane suffering treatment.”   A staggering 26 million people are facing acute hunger, said Ms. Wosorn. More than 10 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including some 726,000 displaced from Sennar state following recent RSF advances.   Sudan’s once vibrant capital, Khartoum, now lies in ruins, the national healthcare system has collapsed, and recent heavy rains in Kassala and North Darfur have increased the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases. An entire generation of children is missing out on a second straight year of education.   Ms. Wosornu also voiced grave concern over war crimes, with women and girls worst affected. “Since our last briefing, new reports have revealed horrific levels of conflict-related sexual violence in Khartoum targeting girls as young as nine years old,” she said.   Despite the dire situation, humanitarian agencies and their local partners continue to work to deliver life-saving assistance where possible in Sudan. They are “exploring every avenue to reach communities affected”, she said. “We are pushing from every possible angle to stop this catastrophe from getting worse, but we cannot go very far without the access and resources we need,” she said.   At the same time, aid workers continue to be harassed, attacked and killed, while convoys transporting food, medicine and fuel have been subjected to looting, extortion and obstruction by the RSF and allied forces. She said three trucks carrying therapeutic food have been blocked by the RSF for over a month in Kabkabiya, located west of El Fasher, thus “depriving malnourished children in Zamzam camp of assistance they desperately need to survive.”   “Lifesaving supplies in Port Sudan are ready to be loaded and dispatched to ZamZam, including essential medicines, nutritional supplies, water purification, tablets and soap. It is crucial that the approvals and security assurances needed are not delayed,” she stressed.   “Assistance delayed is assistance denied for the many Sudanese civilians who are literally dying of hunger during the time it takes for clearances to come through, permits to be granted,” she warned.   Ms. Wosurno reiterated the humanitarian community’s call for an end to the conflict. She called on the warring sides to uphold their obligations under international law, and for rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access across all possible routes.   “Given the massive hunger crisis unfolding in North Darfur and other parts of the country, we need to reach people now - across borders, across battle lines, by air, by land,” she stressed.   She highlighted the need for sufficient funding to support aid operations. The $2.7 billion appeal for Sudan, has so far received just over 30 per cent of the money needed.   Stephen Omollo, Assistant Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) reminded ambassadors that for months, WFP and other humanitarian agencies have been warning of a widespread collapse in food security in Sudan.   “Conditions throughout Sudan are appalling, and getting worse by the day,” he said. “This forgotten crisis has not received the political and diplomatic attention it desperately needs.”   Therefore, the famine confirmation “must serve as a wake-up call for the international community, and for members of this Council.”   The WFP underlined the need for uregent funding to meet the overwhelming needs of people it serves in Sudan, while also supporting refugees who have fled to Chad, South Sudan, Libya and other neighbouring countries.   “Humanitarian agencies will do everything we can to prevent famine from engulfing Sudan. But we can only operate where conditions allow, and where we are granted access,” he said.   “Now more than ever, we need the Security Council to focus on this crisis, and use its influence on the warring parties to halt the conflict that is tearing Sudan apart.   http://www.unocha.org/news/sudan-ocha-appeals-security-council-urgent-action-fight-famine http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sudan/resident-and-humanitarian-coordinator-sudan-reiterates-need-urgent-intervention-experts-confirm-famine-conditions-enar http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/geneva-palais-briefing-note-sudan-crisis-neglect http://www.msf.org/sudan-msf-outraged-and-alarmed-over-repeated-attacks-hospitals-el-fasher-and-blockade-urgently http://www.msf.org/msf-report-reveals-catastrophic-toll-violence-sudan   July 2024   Sudan is facing an unprecedented hunger catastrophe due to the ongoing conflict, say UN Agency Chiefs.   The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) are warning of a rapid deterioration in conditions for the people of Sudan, particularly children, as food security is torn apart by war that has ravaged the country for more than a year.   The risk of widespread famine in Sudan caused by war there was confirmed by leading hunger experts from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative, with over half the population in Sudan – 25.6 million people – facing “crisis or worse” conditions between now September 2024.   In the more than 14 months since rival militaries – the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces – unleashed their heavy weapons arsenals on one another amid rising tensions over a transition to civilian rule, the UN has repeatedly called for a ceasefire as the country has become a battleground.   The rapid deterioration in food security in Sudan has left at least 755,000 people in catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5) with a risk of famine in 14 areas, according to the latest Snapshot data released by the Integrated Phase Classification.   The worst conditions are in the areas hardest hit by fighting and where people displaced by the conflict have gathered. A total of 25.6 million people are in the high levels of acute hunger (IPC Phase 3+). This means that for half of Sudan’s war-battered population, every single day is a struggle to feed themselves and their families.   The new data shows a stark deterioration in food security in Sudan compared with the last IPC report in December 2023, this included nearly five million people in emergency levels of hunger (IPC phase four) whereas today’s assessment indicates that number to have risen to 8.5 million.   “The new IPC analysis reveals a deepening and rapid deterioration of the food security situation in Sudan with millions of people’s lives at risk,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. "We must act collectively, at scale, with unimpeded access, for the sake of millions of innocent lives hanging in the balance”.   “We urgently need a massive expansion of humanitarian access and funding so we can scale-up our relief operations, and halt Sudan’s slide into humanitarian catastrophe", said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.   “The latest snapshot illustrates the devastating impact the conflict in Sudan is having on the country's children," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Hunger and malnutrition are spreading at alarming rates, and without concerted international action and funding, there is a very real danger the situation will spiral out of all control. There is no time to lose. Any delay in unfettered access to vulnerable populations will be measured in the loss of children's lives."   “More than a year into this brutal war, the pain and suffering of children in Sudan continue to grow”. “Whether trapped between the frontlines, forced from their homes, or witnessing their communities torn apart, children’s lives have been turned upside down. This is the biggest child displacement crisis in the world. Children do not start wars, but they pay the highest price. We need the world to know what is happening to the children of Sudan and insist that all parties stop the violence and end this war.”   "Nearly 9 million children are grappling with acute food insecurity and lack of access to safe drinking water. Almost 4 million children under five suffer from acute malnutrition, with 730,000 of those projected to be at imminent risk of dying.   Combined with a drop in vaccination coverage due to fighting and access restrictions, and ongoing disease outbreaks such as cholera, measles, malaria and dengue fever, hundreds of thousands of more children are at risk of dying".   “We have received news of people eating leaves from trees; and mothers cooking up dirt just to put something in their children’s stomachs,” said Justin Brady, head of the UN emergency relief agency (OCHA) in Sudan, in an interview with UN News.   Based on drastic new figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Partnership – the leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises – Save the Children found 16.4 million children, or three in every four children, now face “crisis”, “emergency” or “catastrophe” levels of hunger - up from 8.3 million last December.   IPC figures from March showed that in just one displacement camp, almost a quarter of children (23%) were suffering from wasting – the most visible and lethal form of malnutrition.   Dr. Arif Noor, Save the Children Country Director in Sudan, said:   “These new IPC figures should make our blood run cold. Fourteen months of devastating conflict have turned Sudan’s breadbasket into battlefields. Hundreds of thousands of children who have managed to dodge bullets and bombs are now facing death by starvation and disease. “Where is the collective outrage – and action - needed to tackle this travesty? It is already too late to prevent mass hunger and malnutrition. But through immediate, co-ordinated action, we can save lives – and history will judge us if we do not."   The risk of famine threatens residents, people uprooted by the war and refugees in no less than 14 areas covering Greater Darfur, Greater Kordofan, Al Jazira states and hotspots in Khartoum.   An immediate ceasefire and renewed international efforts – both diplomatic and financial – as well as unhindered and sustained humanitarian access, are urgently needed for a humanitarian response to allow agencies to deliver at the speed needed.   http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-104/en/ http://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2024/sudan-crisis-people-are-dying-of-hunger/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/07/sudan-fact-finding-mission-documents-disturbing-patterns-rights-violations?sub-site=HRC http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/06/1151546 http://www.wfp.org/news/sudan-facing-unprecedented-hunger-catastrophe-say-un-agency-chiefs http://www.unicef.org/sudan/topics/sudan http://www.savethechildren.net/news/child-hunger-sudan-almost-doubles-six-months-three-every-four-children-affected http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/mercy-corps-sudan-ingo-forum-sudan http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2024/07/23/sudan-host-families-take-strain-worlds-largest-displacement-crisis http://news.un.org/en/tags/sudan http://reports.unocha.org/en/country/sudan http://reliefweb.int/country/sdn   http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-urges-security-council-act-sudan-humanitarian-crisis http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/06/1151151 http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-ingo-forum-calls-end-bloodshed-el-fasher http://www.msf.org/people-trapped-un-resolution-fails-stop-fighting-el-fasher http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committee-no-time-lose-famine-stalks-millions-sudan-amid http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/unhcr-s-grandi-warns-sudan-carnage-will-force-millions-more-flee http://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/17/we-need-the-world-to-wake-up-sudan-facing-worlds-deadliest-famine-in-40-years http://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-africa/sudan/b198-halting-catastrophic-battle-sudans-el-fasher   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/sudans-children-trapped-critical-malnutrition-crisis-warn-un-agencies http://www.unicef.org/mena/topics/sudan http://www.globalr2p.org/resources/statement-by-special-adviser-on-the-prevention-of-genocide-on-the-situation-in-sudan-2/ http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/atrocity-alert-no-399/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2024/06/turk-profoundly-shocked-killings-sudans-wad-al-nawara http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2024/05/sudan-un-human-rights-chief-horrified-escalating-violence-el-fasher http://www.unocha.org/news/sudans-humanitarian-coordinator-calls-immediate-ceasefire-al-fasher-safeguard-civilians http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/sudan-conflict-enters-its-second-year-un-fact-finding-mission-says-warring http://tinyurl.com/ymcn7smx http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k16/k16aomc94a http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/conflict-and-hunger-sudan-ngo-call-action http://www.rescue.org/press-release/its-too-late-humanitarian-organisations-urge-participants-paris-conference-sudan-and http://www.ifrc.org/press-release/international-red-cross-and-red-crescent-movement-urges-support-conflict-victims-we http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/april/a-catastrophic-year-for-sudan/ http://www.msf.org/sudan-needs-are-growing-day-response-deeply-inadequate   http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/sudan-witnessing-life-and-death-emergency-massive-scale http://www.savethechildren.net/news/sudans-year-war-one-two-children-line-fire http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/sudan-conflict-24-million-children-exposed-year-brutality-and-rights http://www.care-international.org/resources/because-they-are-women-how-sudan-conflict-has-created-war-women-and-girls http://www.solidarites.org/en/live-from-the-field/sudan-definition-of-an-impending-famine/ http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-update-25-march-2024-enar http://response.reliefweb.int/sudan   * UN Security Council session: Protection of civilians in armed conflict - Sudan Food Security Crisis (20/3/24): http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k17/k17g7e6gqe http://www.wfp.org/news/remarks-delivered-carl-skau-wfp-deputy-executive-director-and-chief-operating-officer-security http://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/sudan-fao-issues-stark-warning-over-deeply-concerning-scale-of-hunger/en http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-warns-security-council-sudan-will-soon-be-worlds-worst-hunger-crisis http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/15/sudan-urgent-action-needed-hunger-crisis http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/march/nrc-statement-following-un-security-council-session-on-conflict-induced-hunger-in-sudan   http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/bearing-witness-atrocities-and-looming-hunger-darfur-report-informed-darfur-refugees-eastern-chad http://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ethnic-killings-one-sudan-city-left-up-15000-dead-un-report-2024-01-19/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/sudan-horrific-violations-and-abuses-fighting-spreads-report http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/28/sudan-widespread-sexual-violence-capital http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/09/sudan-ethnic-cleansing-west-darfur http://www.hrw.org/report/2024/05/09/massalit-will-not-come-home/ethnic-cleansing-and-crimes-against-humanity-el http://www.justsecurity.org/95500/darfur-genocide-demands-international-action-accountability http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/sudan-25-million-people-dire-humanitarian-need-say-un-experts http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-children-sudan-risk-famine Visit the related web page
	Impact of US funding cuts on global HIV/AIDS fight by UNAIDS, agencies   24 Mar. 2025   UN agency warns of ‘surge’ in AIDS deaths without US funding. (UN News)   Amid continuing uncertainty about the impact of deep US funding cuts to humanitarian work worldwide, the head of the UN agency coordinating the fight against HIV-AIDS warned that an additional 6.3 million people will die in the next four years, unless support is reinstated.   “We will see a …real surge in this disease - we will see it come back, and we see people dying the way we saw them in the 90s and in 2000s,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima who noted a “tenfold increase” from the 600,000 AIDS-related deaths recorded globally in 2023.   “We also expect an additional 8.7 million new infections. At the last count, there were 1.3 million new infections globally in 2023”.   Byanyima noted that the funding freeze announced by the White House on 20 January was due to end next month, after a 90-day review.   “We have not heard of other governments pledging to fill the gap,” she told journalists.   Already, drop-in centres where HIV patients can pick up the anti-retroviral medicines they need are not reopening, “for fear that this might not be consistent with the new guidelines”, she maintained.   “This sudden withdrawal of US funding has led to the closure of many clinics, laying off of thousands of health workers. These are nurses, doctors, lab technicians, pharmacy workers…it's a lot.”   Focusing on Africa – where the eastern and southern regions bear 53 per cent of the global HIV burden – Ms. Byanyima warned that closing drop-in centers for girls and young women without notice would be disastrous. She emphasized that more than 60 per cent of new infections on the continent are among girls and young women.   Speaking to UN News earlier this month, Susan Kasedde, head of the UNAIDS office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), highlighted major uncertainties regarding the extent and scope of cuts to PEPFAR-led programmes. This initiative, launched over two decades ago by former US President George W. Bush to prevent and contain HIV infections, is estimated to have saved around 26 million lives.   There are currently around 520,000 people living with HIV in the DRC, including 300,000 women and 50,000 children. The epidemic continues to grow, as the number of new infections is almost double the number of deaths linked to the disease.   PEPFAR's expected contribution for the 2025 fiscal year was due to be $105 million, and it aims to provide treatment to half of the population living with HIV in the DRC – some 209,000 people.   “This means that we currently have 440,000 people living with HIV who are on treatment. Thanks to this treatment, they are alive”, said Ms. Kasedde.   Several other UN agencies that are heavily reliant on US funding have also warned that the cut in support – in addition to chronic under-investment in humanitarian work globally – is already having a serious impact on the communities they serve.   On Friday, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said that thousands have been left without lifesaving aid in the war-torn eastern DRC.   The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) also announced that funding cuts have severe repercussions for vulnerable migrant communities, exacerbating humanitarian crises and undermining essential support systems for displaced populations.   Together with IOM, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned last Friday that that the liquidity crunch has jeopardized lifesaving work, including progress in reducing child mortality, which has fallen by 60 per cent since 1990.   “It is reasonable for the United States to want to reduce its funding - over time. But the sudden withdrawal of lifesaving support is having a devastating impact across countries, particularly Africa, but even in Asia and Latin America,” said UNAIDS’ Ms. Byanyima. “We urge for a reconsideration and an urgent restoration of services – life-saving services.”   According to UNAIDS, approximately 40 million people globally live with HIV, based on 2023 data. Of this number, some 1.3 million became newly infected with HIV in the same year and 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1161416 http://www.unaids.org/en/impact-US-funding-cuts http://www.msf.org/report-deadly-gaps   7 Feb. 2025   Impact of US funding cuts on global HIV/AIDS fight. (UN News)   Christine Stegling, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, stated that the sudden pause to US foreign assistance was a shockwave to the AIDS response and the global health infrastructure.   While the Emergency Humanitarian Waiver issued by the US Secretary of State was welcome, there was still a lot of confusion. The waiver should mean that 20 million people living with HIV that depended on US aid for their treatment could continue to receive their medication during the 90-day assessment. There were still ten million HIV-positive people in the world living without treatment, reminded Ms. Stegling.   Many services that supported the delivery of treatment had stopped, such as counselling services or the community delivery of medication. The biggest impact would be on community health services, which were at the heart of UNAIDS’s successful drive against HIV/AIDS.   UNAIDS estimated that if US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was not reauthorized between 2025 and 2029, and other resources were not found for the HIV response, there would be a 400 percent increase in AIDS deaths, or 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths.   Ms. Stegling quoted Richard Lusimbo, Director of the Ugandan Key Populations Consortium, who said that foreign aid had been more than financial support in the fight against HIV/AIDS, discrimination, and systemic inequalities; it had been a lifeline.   Ms. Stegling reminded that the US had been a huge supporter of global health and UNAIDS was hopeful that it would stay present. The biggest danger was losing the hard-won gains and abandoning human rights protection for the most marginalized.   She concluded by stressing that the world was at a critical moment in the AIDS response, as in 2024, long-acting medicines for HIV prevention and treatment had proven over 95 percent effective in stopping new HIV infections. This could be a game changing moment but only if there was global solidarity and a true global commitment to end AIDS by 2030.   Responding to questions from the media, Ms. Stegling said it was becoming gradually clear what the US waiver would cover, but everyone was still analyzing and seeking guidance.   UNAIDS was doing live monitoring with country offices to see where bottlenecks might be. UNAIDS was concerned about the long-term impact of HIV prevention, as well as treatment interruption, which would lead to an increase in new HIV infections.   Ms. Stegling specified that in Ethiopia, 5,000 public health workers’ contracts funded by US assistance from all regions had been terminated; 10,000 data clerks had also been let go. It was hoped that the US would continue its critical aid, which had been provided over the decades, with bipartisan support. The global community had to come together, with national governments, to see how best to fill in the gaps at the community health level.   There were many ongoing conflicts in the world right now, reminded Ms. Stegling, which already adversely affected provision of HIV prevention and treatment services.   On another question, Ms. Stegling explained that in 2024, UNAIDS had been USD 8 billion short on global HIV/AIDS response. Current donors ought to step up and new donors were needed to step in, she stressed.   http://www.unaids.org/en/impact-US-funding-cuts   5 Feb. 2025   Foreign Aid Freeze Leaves Millions Without H.I.V. Treatment. (New York Times)   Two weeks into President Trump’s sweeping freeze on foreign aid, H.I.V. groups abroad have not received any funding, jeopardizing the health of more than 20 million people, including 500,000 children.   Subsequent waivers from the State Department have clarified that the work can continue, but the funds and legal paperwork to do so are still missing.   With the near closure of the American aid agency known as U.S.A.I.D. and its recall of officers posted abroad, there is little hope that the situation will resolve quickly, experts warned.   H.I.V. treatment and services were funded through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, a $7.5 billion program that was frozen along with all foreign aid on Mr. Trump’s first day in office.   Since its start in 2003 during the George W. Bush administration, PEPFAR has delivered lifesaving treatment to as many as 25 million people in 54 countries and had enjoyed bipartisan support. The program was due for a five-year reauthorization in 2023; it survived an effort by some House Republicans to end it and was renewed for one year.   Without treatment, millions of people with H.I.V. would be at risk of severe illness and premature death. The loss of treatment also threatens to reverse the dramatic progress made against H.I.V. in recent years and could spur the emergence of drug-resistant strains of H.I.V.; both outcomes could have a global impact, including in the United States.   The pause on aid and the stripping down of U.S.A.I.D. have delivered a “system shock,” said Christine Stegling, a deputy executive director at UNAIDS, the United Nations’ H.I.V. division.   On Jan. 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a waiver for lifesaving medicines and medical services, ostensibly allowing for the distribution of H.I.V. medicines. But the waiver did not name PEPFAR, leaving recipient organizations awaiting clarity.   On Sunday, another State Department waiver said more explicitly that it would cover H.I.V. testing and treatment as well as prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, according to a memo viewed by The New York Times. The memo did not include H.I.V. prevention — except for pregnant and breastfeeding women — or support for orphaned and vulnerable children.   Although PEPFAR is funded by the State Department, roughly two-thirds of its grants are implemented through U.S.A.I.D. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Neither organization has released funds to grantees since the freeze was initiated.   In an interview with The Washington Post, Mr. Rubio appeared to blame the recipient organizations for not acting on the waiver.   But experts familiar with PEPFAR’s requirements said his comments belied the complexity of its system of approvals.   “The messaging and guidance from the State Department expose an ignorance of how these programs function — and an alarming lack of compassion for the millions of lives at risk,” said Jirair Ratevosian, who served as chief of staff for PEPFAR in the Biden administration.   For instance, the stop-work orders compelled each program to cease immediately. The organizations are now legally required to wait for equally explicit instructions and cannot proceed on the basis of a general memo, according to a senior official at a large global health organization that receives PEPFAR funds.   “We have to wait till we get individual letters on each project that tell us not only we can start work, but tell us which work we can start up and with how much money,” the official said. The official asked not to be named for fear of retaliation; 90 percent of the organization’s money comes from PEPFAR.   The freeze is also disrupting the network of smaller organizations that deliver H.I.V. treatment and services in low-income nations.   In a survey of 275 organizations in 11 sub-Saharan countries conducted over the past week, all reported that their programs or services had shut down or were turning people away, said Dr. Stellah Bosire, executive director of the Africa Center for Health Systems and Gender Justice.   At least 70 organizations reported disruptions in H.I.V. prevention, testing and treatment services, and 41 said that some programs had closed. “Without immediate intervention, these funding suspensions could lead to devastating reversals in public health progress,” Dr. Bosire said in an email.   In Kenya, 40,000 doctors, nurses and other health workers have been affected by the freeze, according to Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin, who was deputy chief of communications at the American mission in Nairobi until Monday. In South Africa, the halt in funding will affect the salaries of more than 15,000 health workers and operations across the country, the nation’s health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, said during a televised news conference last week.   Some organizations rely on a patchwork of grants, with a stream of funding from one donor applied to purchasing medications and another stream applied to paying staff. Interruption of even one source can hobble the clinics, leaving them without medications to dispense or workers to dispense them.   The Uganda Key Populations Consortium, an umbrella organization that provides H.I.V. treatment and other services, has lost 70 percent of its funding. It has shuttered 30 of the 54 drop-in centers around the country that dispense medications, and it terminated the contracts of 28 of its 35 staff members.   On Tuesday night, the Trump administration put nearly all of U.S.A.I.D.’s global work force on leave and recalled those posted abroad to return to the United States within 30 days.   Without U.S.A.I.D. staff to process waiver applications, organizations fear they will not see funds anytime soon. Even large global health organizations are struggling to stay afloat; some have already cut programs and staff.   Even if the funds were to return quickly, it may not be easy to restart programs and return to something resembling normalcy, said Ms. Dunn-Georgiou the president of Global Health Council, a membership organization of health groups. “It costs a lot to restart something, so I don’t think we really know yet if that’s even possible,” she said.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1159901 http://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/press-briefing/2025/02/un-geneva-press-briefing-0 http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2025/february/20250201_us-funding http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1160081 http://www.ipsnews.net/2025/02/tanzanians-with-hiv-left-in-crisis-as-u-s-aid-ends/ http://www.msf.org/uncertainty-around-pepfar-programme-puts-millions-people-risk http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2025/01/pepfar-us-international-aid http://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/health/trump-usaid-pepfar.html http://frontlineaids.org/urgent-action-needed-to-safeguard-hiv-response-from-trump-administration-freeze/ http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2025/march/20250320_debt-crisis http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/30/developing-world-aid-response-hiv-aids-winnie-byanyima Visit the related web page
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