A virtual meeting of the ALPS Group took place on 19 September to continue its weekly coordination on expanding emergency humanitarian access across Sudan, including advocating for humanitarian pauses in times of critical need, and protections for civilians, while aiming for a wider cessation of hostilities.
Taking note of the fact that the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, as evidenced by recent data from Zamzam camp showing catastrophic malnutrition, the ALPS Group drew urgency to its deliberations from this sobering update.
Meanwhile, the ALPS Group welcomes the full opening by the Sovereign Transitional Council of Kassala and Dongola airports to the United Nations World Food Programme’s humanitarian air service for humanitarian assistance flights.
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) should facilitate the assessment of other airfields, and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) should honour their commitment in this regard.
RSF and SAF should facilitate preparations to allow humanitarian flights into and through Sudan, ensuring the safety of aircraft and personnel managing air operations.
In addition, the ALPS Group is pleased with the news that humanitarian operations are now crossing the lines of conflict from Port of Sudan to Khartoum via Shendi.
This increase in humanitarian access, while positive, is still insufficient to meet the needs of the population and to ensure the effective delivery of the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of additional humanitarian aid mobilised for the Sudanese people.
The Government of Sudan and the Sudanese Armed Forces must facilitate safe and unhindered access for relief supplies flowing along the Khartoum road, as well as cross-country movements on other roads, notably from Khartoum to El Obeid and Kosti, and from Kassala to Wad Medani and beyond. All these measures are necessary to reach the heart of the crisis and contain the famine.
Regarding El Fasher and its surroundings, the ALPS Group calls on all international actors to put pressure on the warring parties to respect their obligations under international law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and urges the RSF to refrain from attacks on civilians and the SAF to end its widespread aerial bombardments.
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International partners are called upon to work together to achieve an immediate humanitarian pause in the fighting in El Fasher, as well as in the states of Sennar, Khartoum and al-Jazira, in order to allow humanitarian access and corridors for the Sudanese people who need them most.
Contracting parties must ensure that civilians can leave the combat zones in complete safety, they must in particular take all necessary precautionary measures to limit the negative impact on civilians. The delegations affirm that it is imperative that both parties to the conflict make progress.
