US-led mediators ‘appalled’ by worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan

​​​​​​​By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - A US-led coalition of mediators on Wednesday said it was “appalled by the continuous deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Sudan” and urged warring parties to take steps to protect civilians and allow aid access.

The Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group -- comprising the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union and the UN -- cited “the growing number of people in situations of severe malnutrition and famine, and the wide range of access impediments that are delaying or blocking the response in key areas.”

“Civilians continue to pay the highest price for this war,” it said in a statement, stressing that humanitarian needs have reached “critical levels.”

The group urged parties to the conflict to lift bureaucratic impediments, maintain supply routes, restore telecommunications and honor commitments under the 2023 Jeddah Declaration.

The Jeddah Declaration, signed in May 2023, aimed to end conflicts between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Sudanese army and the RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 victims and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities.

Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.