Photo of general view of settlement in Zamzam camp for Internally Displaced People (IDP), North Darfur, Sudan, April 3, 2014 by Albert Gonzalez Farran, UNAMID.
Take Action for Sudan
April 14 marked the second year of the war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a war that has displaced nearly 13 million people. The UN has labeled Sudan as the worst humanitarian crisis globally.
While the war remains at a stalemate, fighting intensified for the two-year anniversary when the RSF attacked the Zamzam refugee camp and lay siege to the city of Al Fashir. The violence led to a new wave of mass displacement for a population already on the brink, experiencing widespread hunger, economic collapse, and the deterioration of healthcare and education systems.
The United States’ cuts to foreign aid heightened scarcity and uncertainty – not just in Sudan, but in neighboring countries that host Sudanese refugees.
“The only reason it isn’t breaking our hearts every day is that we don’t see it.” – Former U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello
The situation is highly complex with both sides of the conflict accused of war crimes and human rights abuses. The RSF in particular bears responsibly for atrocities, including mass killings of ethnic minorities. Surrounding countries are also taking sides, including Egypt, Libya, and Russia. Most egregiously, the United Arab Emirates offers significant weapons support to the RSF, giving the paramilitary group the means to keep waging war. Even so, the Trump Administration announced on May 13 a $1.4 billion arms deal with the UAE.
Eleven Sudanese women leaders recently released a statement on the crisis, identifying the lack of resources, sexual violence, and the flow of arms as top priorities to address.
What can you do? Click the tabs below to take action.
Despite the fact that the humanitarian crisis is the worst in the world, it receives relatively little attention in the news.
Share what is happening in Sudan on social media so that the violence is no longer ignored. Hashtags like #KeepEyesOnSudan and #Sudan can help posts gain traction. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch, SpeakOutOnSudan.org and SudanMutualAid.org are great places to learn more information.
Congress can hold the Trump Administration accountable and can ensure that the administration disburses the foreign aid set by law, especially for countries bordering Sudan that are receiving refugees. Furthermore, they have the ability to block the $1.4 billion arms deal with the UAE. Use the form below to write to your members of Congress.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio can pursue peace in Sudan by working with partners in the region to bring an end to the conflict. The Trump Administration can also reverse course on its foreign aid cuts and can use its leverage to hold the UAE to account for funding of the RSF.
Follow the instructions here to post a comment on the State Department comment page.
Step 1.
Click the COPY button below to copy the message to Secretary of State Rubio.
Step 2.
When you click the COPY button, the browser will open a pop-up notification. Click “OK” on the pop-up notification asking if you would like to go to the State Department contact form.
Step 3.
Fill in your email address and a message subject, and then paste the message into the contact form. You can “paste” the message by clicking CTL + V (or CMD + V on a mac) or right clicking and selecting “paste.”
Step 4. Click “Submit”!
Message subject: Stop the foreign aid freeze
Because neither side of the fight has an upper hand, now is an ideal time to negotiate an end to the war. Otherwise, the conditions within Sudan can only be expected to get worse.