The leader of the Norwegian Refugee Council warns Europe not to ignore Sudan

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is worse than Ukraine, Gaza and Somalia – combined, charged the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

“There are 24 million lives at risk here in Sudan,” commented Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the NRC, in an interview with dpa following a trip he made to western Darfur and other areas.

“We are looking at an endless reckoning of hunger and despair and the collapse of an entire civilization.”

Conflicts like those in Ukraine and the Middle East, he said, should not interfere with the suffering of the people of Sudan.

“If we all agree that human life is equally important no matter where you are in the world, then Sudan should be at the top of our list of concerns now.”

Homes and places were destroyed
Egeland saw the results of the conflict, which has been going on for almost 600 days.

He said he saw in many places – including those where the NRC had previously worked “very clear signs of a terrible war. And house after house, neighborhood after neighborhood, was burned, destroyed and looted.”

Sudan has been embroiled in a bloody power struggle since April 2023 between governor Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. More than 11 million people are displaced within Sudan and neighboring countries. Serious crimes against humanity are reported to be committed by warring groups, including ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region.

Egeland warned that the situation is “emerging” as in 2015, when millions of refugees from war-torn areas, including Syria, crossed the Mediterranean and appeared on the doorsteps of Europe.

“I don't think Germany and the European Union and Scandinavia and France would like that.”

Investing in Sudan will not only help keep people in a position to seek better opportunities elsewhere, but doing so is “the only thing” in line with European ideas and interests, he said.