Civil war: ‘AU leadership fails Sudanese’
The Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, Hala al-Karib, has berated the African Union (AU) and its leaders for abandoning the Sudanese people amid a devastating war that has claimed nearly 100,000 lives and seen hundreds of thousands of women and girls subjected to rape over the past […]
The Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, Hala al-Karib, has berated the African Union (AU) and its leaders for abandoning the Sudanese people amid a devastating war that has claimed nearly 100,000 lives and seen hundreds of thousands of women and girls subjected to rape over the past two years.
She was speaking during a Zoom press conference to mark the second anniversary of the Sudan conflict.
Al-Karib expressed disappointment over the AU’s lack of decisive action.
“It’s quite sad and deeply disappointing for the Sudanese people that we do not currently see any real leadership from the African Union regarding Sudan.
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“The level of engagement and intervention is lacking. This is one of the most severe humanitarian and human rights crises in the world, certainly in Africa, for the past fifty years,” Al-Karib said.
She called for urgent, high-level African leadership to address what she described as a crisis exacerbated by external actors exploiting Sudan’s resources.
She said, “It is our responsibility to protect our own people and resources, and so far, that is not happening.”
She also said that the war, which erupted two years ago, has unleashed widespread atrocities, including sexual violence on an unprecedented scale.
She said that the crisis has also led to forced pregnancies, with women rejecting children born from rape.
Also, John Riaga, Media Manager for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), described the desperate conditions in Zamzam camp, home to approximately 500,000 displaced people, mostly women and children.