Taqaddum Warns of ‘Catastrophic’ Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

Internally displaced Muslim devotees wait to break their fast at a courtyard during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Gedaref on March 13, 2024. (AFP)
Internally displaced Muslim devotees wait to break their fast at a courtyard during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Gedaref on March 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Taqaddum Warns of ‘Catastrophic’ Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

Internally displaced Muslim devotees wait to break their fast at a courtyard during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Gedaref on March 13, 2024. (AFP)
Internally displaced Muslim devotees wait to break their fast at a courtyard during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Gedaref on March 13, 2024. (AFP)

The Sudanese Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Taqaddum) appealed for the international community to urgently intervene to aid the people caught in the fighting between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

It called on it to agree on routes to deliver humanitarian aid to all affected regions in the country.

Headed by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Taqaddum met overnight on Saturday to discuss the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the ongoing war that erupted on April 15.

It also addressed the weak international response to the humanitarian crisis.

Hamdok underscored the importance of humanitarian assistance and the impact of the war on Sudanese people inside the country and abroad.

Taqaddum called on the warring parties to guarantee the delivery of aid. The gatherers agreed to form a platform to coordinate the humanitarian response, attract foreign support and draw the world's attention to the catastrophe in Sudan.

Taqaddum is expected to issue a "joint appeal" that sets the operational steps to confront the humanitarian crisis and unite international efforts to support the Sudanese people during the crisis.

Taqaddum member Khaled Omar Youssef described the humanitarian situation in Sudan as "catastrophic", warning that famine is imminent if the war continues.

The meeting stressed the importance of the formation of a broad team that would coordinate efforts, urge the international community to provide humanitarian aid and remove the obstacles that are hindering relief efforts.

He warned that the war has "divided the Sudanese people in an unprecedented way".

Millions of people are paying the price, but the humanitarian crisis and its impact must not be sources of division and differences, he declared.

International and regional efforts on Sudan are focusing on addressing the humanitarian file and reaching a ceasefire between the army and RSF.

The army had previously approved the delivery of aid, but limited the routes for their delivery through airports, marine ports and land borders in regions held under its control.

Meanwhile, the RSF, which holds four major states in Darfur and Al-Jazirah, has demanded the delivery of aid to regions under its control through an agreement between relevant parties and international organizations.

The army has been accused of obstructing the delivery of aid to hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in conflict zones in Darfur and the capital Khartoum.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned last week that almost 18 million people in Sudan are facing acute food insecurity - the highest number ever recorded during a harvest season.



Independent Israeli Commission Blames Netanyahu and Others for October 2023 Attack

A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Independent Israeli Commission Blames Netanyahu and Others for October 2023 Attack

A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)

The independent civilian commission of inquiry into the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel has found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly responsible for the failures leading up to the attack, alongside former defense ministers, the army chief and the heads of the security services.

The civil commission presented its findings today after a four-month probe in which it heard some 120 witnesses. It was set up by relatives of victims of the Hamas attack, in response to the absence of any state probe.

The commission determined that the Israeli government, its army and security services “failed in their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel.”

It said Netanyahu was responsible for ignoring “repeated warnings” ahead of Oct. 7, 2023 for what it described as his appeasing approach over the years toward Hamas, and for “undermining all decision-making centers, including the cabinet and the National Security Council, in a way that prevented any serious discussion” on security issues.

The commission further determined that the military and defense leaders bear blame for ignoring warnings from within the army, and for reducing the army’s presence along the Gaza border while relying excessively on technological means.

On the day of the Hamas attack, the report says, the army’s response was both slow and lacking.

The civil commission called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack.

Netanyahu has opposed launching a state commission of inquiry, arguing that such an investigation should begin only once the war is over.