Darfur Victims Support Organization
Report on the Escalating Famine Crisis at Sabreen IDP Camp – East Darfur State (El Daein)
October 22, 2024
The Darfur Victims Support Organization is gravely concerned about the worsening humanitarian disaster at Sabreen IDP camp in El Daein. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the camp are facing dire conditions, with an acute shortage of food and essential aid. Those who fled conflict zones are now facing extreme famine, while their urgent need for relief is being dangerously neglected.
Field Situation:
Through field interviews conducted with IDPs from Sabreen camp, it has been confirmed that the camp is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis requiring immediate intervention. The IDPs are relying on local cucumber and animal fodder as daily meals due to a critical lack of food supplies. The camp, which hosts approximately 5,395 IDPs who fled conflict zones such as El Fasher, Nyala, Khartoum, and Babanoosa, lacks basic life necessities, including shelter and healthcare.
Population Details:
• Number of children: 1,867
• Number of women: 2,149
• Number of men: 1,245
• Persons with disabilities: 134
This tragic situation reflects the magnitude of neglect facing the IDPs, as health conditions have deteriorated significantly in the absence of clean water and medical services.
Health and Service Conditions:
The camp suffers from a near-total absence of basic healthcare services, compounded by a severe shortage of clean drinking water, which heightens the risk of disease outbreaks. The IDPs, who live in inhumane conditions, face compounded risks as this crisis persists without any concrete solutions or meaningful international response.
Recommendations:
1. Urgent Humanitarian Intervention: The organization calls upon the international community, including the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, to take swift action in providing food and medical aid to the IDPs, and to halt the ongoing deterioration that threatens their lives.
2. Opening Humanitarian Corridors: The organization urges the parties to the conflict to immediately open safe humanitarian corridors to ensure that aid reaches the IDPs without obstruction. Any delay in relief efforts constitutes a blatant violation of human rights and exacerbates the suffering.
3. Mandatory Provision of Aid in Accordance with International Law: The organization reminds all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law, which guarantees IDPs the right to receive aid without discrimination. All parties must refrain from obstructing the delivery of aid and must honor their humanitarian commitments to protect civilian rights.
4. Strengthening International Cooperation: The organization urges the international community to strengthen coordination with local authorities and relief organizations to ensure the sustainability of relief efforts and provide lasting solutions to the crisis, including the rehabilitation of IDPs or facilitating their safe return.
Under international humanitarian law, the obstruction or delay of humanitarian aid delivery constitutes a crime. The Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, along with several other international treaties, obligates parties to a conflict to ensure the provision of essential supplies to affected populations. The continued failure to intervene swiftly is a direct violation of fundamental rights protected by these laws. Accordingly, the organization calls for accountability for anyone who obstructs aid delivery or uses it as a political tool.
Given these catastrophic conditions, the Darfur Victims Support Organization calls for urgent international action to save the lives of thousands of IDPs. The situation in Sabreen camp cannot tolerate further delay, and the international community must fulfill its responsibilities toward the IDPs by ensuring that necessary aid is provided immediately.
Darfur Victims Support Organization
October 21, 2024
