TRANSCRIPT
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator says at least 25 million people in Sudan are in urgent need of aid due to the country's civil war.
The U-N is appealing for $6.2 billion to fund operations in Sudan and in neighbouring countries accommodating refugees.
Speaking in Geneva, Martin Griffiths says the world's media isn't giving the conflict enough coverage.
"Sudan keeps being forgotten by the international community. That's why this meeting is so important. It's been extraordinarily difficult to get media attention, to Sudan, we have all in our different ways tried, we've discussed it among the agencies, it's very, very hard to get it on the screen to get the suffering that we've just been seeing understood, because of course we have all these competing crises, Gaza; we were here in this place for Ukraine the other day, and so forth. But I don't think there's anywhere quite so tragic in the world today as Sudan."
Alluding to other ongoing conflicts, Mr Griffiths said suffering should never be a contest.
"There is a certain kind of obscenity about the humanitarian world, which is the competition of suffering, a competition between places. I have more suffering than you so I need to get more attention, so I need to get more money. And what we see in Sudan is not only the terrible suffering of the people that we've just seen on the screen, 19 million children in Sudan unable to return to classrooms, fighting still going on. We're still trying to get the two warring parties leaders, who I've spoken to both of them recently, together actually here in Geneva to talk about access."
Mr Griffiths says the two warring sides in Sudan have been invited to Geneva for a humanitarian forum to ensure civilians can access aid.
"They both said yes, that they would be happy to come. In fact, they said to Switzerland, because they, for reasons-- Anyway, they said 'Yes, we'll come into Switzerland.' I said I don't mind where you go I mean, we'll go wherever you want to go. But ideally, face to face to begin with. And I'm still waiting for a confirmation of when and where they will come."
The ten-month war in Sudan, between its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces or RSF, has devastated the country's infrastructure, prompted warnings of famine and displaced millions of people both in and outside the country.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres spoke at the UN General Assembly, saying life is hell for those suffering from hunger due to conflicts.
"Excellencies, for millions of people caught up in conflicts around the world life is a deadly daily hungry hell. Record numbers are fleeing their homes in search of safety. And they are crying out for peace. And we must hear them and act. In the immediate term, we must continue to push for peace across the globe."
He then repeated calls for a ceasefire not only in Sudan, but in all conflicts in Africa.
"The fighting must stop in Sudan before it destroys even more lives and spreads. And in Libya, while a ceasefire holds, the Libyan people deserve sustained peace and stability, starting with a commitment to free and fair elections. In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, I call on all armed groups to lay down their weapons, and I urge regional leaders to prioritise dialogue over conflict."
Mr Guterres ended his speech with a call to action.
"Excellencies, if countries fulfil their obligations under the charter, every person has a right to a life of peace and dignity would be guaranteed."
Meanwhile in Munich, Germany, a global security conference is taking place.
Christoph Heusgen is chair of the Munich Security Conference 2024.
He says he hopes the meeting will allow for discussion of the conflicts that receive less attention but cause major humanitarian crises, like the war in Sudan.
"The Munich Security Conference is a conference with global aspirations. This means that we want to focus on the most important global issues. We have invited many representatives from Africa, Latin America and Asia, and they are coming. We don't want to limit the conference to this very European conflict (in Ukraine). The Middle East will also be discussed, of course. There will also be talks about other conflicts that we don't focus on here in Germany, but which we also want to look at in terms of their humanitarian impact, for example Sudan with its millions of refugees."
To complicate matters, Sudan's main internet operators went completely offline on Wednesday, affecting millions of people in the conflict zones and those seeking safety.
It's feared the blackout could also impact e-wallets amid a cash shortage.
Two networks have been offline since Friday, with Zain Sudan now joining them.
The RSF denies responsibility, and the companies have not publicly attributed blame.
