On the threat of famine following the spread of conflict in Sudan

B90078/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the threat of famine following the spread of conflict in Sudan

(2024/2505(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to its previous resolutions on Sudan,

having regard to the statement made on 27 November 2023 by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,

having regard to UN Security Council resolution 2715 adopted on 1 December 2023,

having regard to Rules 144(5) and 132(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas parties to the conflict in Sudan continue their fight over the control of the state and its resources since April 2023;

B.whereas this conflict is causing declining humanitarian conditions, and the displacement of 7.5 million people as of January 2024, 6 million of which within Sudan; whereas Sudan is now the country with the largest number of displaced people in the world;

C.whereas the health system is collapsing, with outbreaks of diseases, nearly half of Sudan’s population are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection; whereas the conflict expanded to grain-producing areas, leading to a lack of cultivation;

D.whereas Sudan is now facing a deepening famine, with over 37% of Sudan’s population facing hunger; whereas the country has been elevated to the list of highest concern level countries in the WFP/FAO Hunger Hotspot and the country registers the highest rate of child malnutrition globally;

E.whereas on 11 May 2023 the “Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan” was agreed on by the parties to the conflict; whereas negotiation efforts brokered by the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) on behalf of the African Union in the fall of 2023 failed to produce results and no ceasefire agreements from previous negotiations were upheld, with the fighting persisting, particularly in Khartoum and Darfur;

1.Calls on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities, facilitate humanitarian access, including by fulfilling their Jeddah commitments, and to seek a negotiated solution to the conflict; calls on external parties to the conflict to refrain from interferences fomenting conflict and instability, and instead to support efforts for a durable peace;

2.Underlines the need to assure equitable access to humanitarian relief for civilians who are experiencing ongoing fighting and shortages of food, water and fuel, limited communications and electricity, and very high prices of essential items;

3.Urges all parties of the conflict to act to avert a hunger catastrophe in the upcoming lean season to help the nearly 18 million people across Sudan who are facing acute food insecurity;

4.Calls for all parties to give safe, timely and unhindered access to the World Food Programme and other humanitarian actors, as they cannot safely access people in the worst-affected conflict zones;

5.Condemns violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed by the conflicting parties, leading to the loss of thousands of lives;

6.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative, the Sudanese authorities, the African Union, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Pan-African Parliament.