· A ceasefire mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia took effect on June 10th and expired on June 11th. The cease fire was aimed to allow the safe passage of humanitarian aid throughout the country and provide civilians with an opportunity to acquire basic supplies.
· Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resumed:
o Heavy shooting, including artillery shelling, continues to be reported in El Obeid, with RSF controlling the outskirts of the town and numerous checkpoints established along most of the roads leading to and from the town.
o The security situation in North Darfur and Kutum has remained fragile in the past few days. As the situation in the entire Darfur region continues to deteriorate, the Darfur Governor has declared the area a "Disaster Zone," emphasizing the gravity of the situation and the state of lawlessness in the region.
o The security situation in West and Central Darfur continues to be unstable, with Zalingei experiencing active fighting and frequent looting this week.
o There have been sporadic shootings in Geneina, and the situation in Kereneik is tense due to hostilities and intercommunal clashes between the Arabs and Masalits that resulted from the killing of an Arab.
o Forbaranga and Habila remain under siege by RSF and the Arab Militia.
· The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect issued an alert on atrocity risks on June 16th:
o The current conflict in Sudan is triggering an alarming escalation in inter-communal and ethnically motivated violence in various parts of the country.
o Credible Sudanese sources also expressed grave concern about civilians in the cities of El Fasher, North Darfur, and Nyala, South Darfur being at imminent risk, as RSF and allied militias are reportedly surrounding the cities.
o Local sources shared that in Nyala armed fighters are going house by house to loot, attack and kill those who refuse to leave.
· More than 866 people have been killed and 6,083 people have been injured since the start of the conflict.
· It is estimated that 2.1 million people have been displaced, this includes:
o There are now 1.6 million people that have been internally displaced.
o At least 477,451 refugees have fled to neighboring countries.
o Before the conflict began, Sudan was already hosting large refugee populations.
o New asylum-seekers, refugees, refugee returnees and other arrivals’ most urgent needs identified to date are water, food, shelter, health, and core relief items.
· Humanitarian organizations are continuing to serve the civilians affected by the conflict:
o The World Food Programme and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society as of June 10th have supported more than 16,000 people in hard-to-reach areas of North Darfur.
o On June 11th, the UN with their partners distributed and repositioned relief items that could benefit over 2.5 million people in Khartoum, Aj Jazirah, North Darfur and other priority states. This has been achieved by negotiated access and facilitating the movement of at least 224 trucks in the last three weeks.
o On June 12th, humanitarian warehouses were looted, occupied, and used as shields by parties to the conflict.
· Healthcare and Public Health Update:
o As of June 8th, there have been 46 attacks on healthcare that has been verified by the World Health Organization (WHO). These attacks have resulted in eight deaths and 18 people injured.
o Several health facilities have been occupied by the various parties to the conflict. This includes the National Public Health Laboratory and the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Medical Supply Funds Warehouse in Khartoum.
o Overall, the greatest public health risks remain the ongoing violence resulting in trauma injuries, major disruptions to health care and repeated attacks on the health system, and poor access to clean water, sanitation and food, increasing the risk of malnutrition and water- and vector-borne diseases.
o Across all affected areas, health staff have not been paid, and most of them have relocated to safer areas.
o According to the Preliminary Committee of Sudan Doctor’s Trade Union:
ü 67% of all main hospitals in affected areas were out of service as of May 31.
ü The 29 hospitals operating fully or partially (some providing emergency medical services only) are at risk of closure due to shortage of medical staff, supplies, water, and electricity.
o There are reports of shortages of specialized medical personnel, including anesthesiologists and surgical specialists, as well as medical supplies including oxygen supplies, and X-Ray films.
o Previously pre-positioned stocks of supplies to treat trauma patients were rapidly consumed early in the fighting due to a surge in demand. Despite insecurity and operational challenges, WHO was able to deliver over 170 metric tons of supplies to affected areas.
o To continue to respond to the health crisis WHO requires $145 million to support Sudan and neighboring countries.
· Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) Update:
o On June 15th, the ETC added two new sites to its data connectivity network in Port Sudan.
o Satellite internet services are being provided to humanitarians from 17 UN agencies and seven international non-governmental organizations (INGO).
o Two satellite connectivity kits have been installed in Kassala and Al Gedarif in preparation for the expansion of ETC services to new locations.
· The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Volker Perthles “persona non grata". The Sudanese government has allowed the UN mission personnel to remain in country.
Sources:
· Sudan, conflict - ETC Situation Report #4 (Reporting period: 10/06/2023 to 16/06/2023)
· Sudan Emergency: Population Movement from Sudan (as of 15 June 2023)
· WHO Sudan health emergency Situation Report No.1 (15 April - 14 June 2023)
· Sudan: Humanitarian Update, 13 June 2023
· World Food Programme Sudan External Situation Report #06: 11 June 2023
· Urgent alert on rising atrocity risks in Darfur, Sudan
· WFP Sudan Twitter Page
· OCHA Sudan Twitter Page
· Conflict Observatory Twitter Page
Resources
Sudan Conflict Observatory, Situational Awareness Report as of June 15 (New)
Logistics Cluster Sudan Snapshot, 13 June 2023 (New)
Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General - on Sudan (New)
WHO Foundation, Health Emergency Response for Sudan
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