Break The Silence On Sudan: An Urgent Call To Action

05 September

Ahead of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) starting September 16, over 50 civil society organizations urgently call upon the international community to step up and break the silence surrounding the brutal conflict in Sudan. As the civil war crossed its 500-day mark amid global silence, states must finally take serious action to ensure the people in Sudan have access to secure and reliable internet and digital communications tools critical to their survival.

Sudan has become the worst displacement crisis in the world, as more than 10.7 million people have been displaced, and over half the population — an estimated 25.6 million people — are facing acute hunger. A tragedy that can only be described as a deliberately silenced and overlooked crisis.

“With millions facing starvation and an imminent genocide, the conflict in Sudan is a stain on our shared humanity," said Marwa Fatafta, MENA Policy and Advocacy Director at Access Now. “The international community has largely ignored the plight and pleas of people in Sudan for over 500 days, and the crisis will only worsen if the international community does not take its head out of the sand and give the people in Sudan the attention and resources they deserve.”

The severe damage to communications infrastructure by warring parties and the ongoing communications blackout implemented by the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since February 2024, has aggravated atrocities on vulnerable communities by increasing chances for anonymity and impunity. The shutdown continues to hamper humanitarian efforts, severely limits the availability of conflict-related data, and has led to the crisis being downplayed in international indexes.

“Millions of people in Sudan have been cut off from the rest of the world,” said Giulio Coppi, Senior Humanitarian Officer at Access Now. “Access to the internet enables people to access critical and often life-saving information, it allows loved ones to stay connected, and it facilitates an effective humanitarian response — it could be the difference between life and death for people in Sudan.”

Access Now and civil society reiterate our previous call to reactivate telecommunication services, stop the collective punishment of already affected and disconnected communities, amplify the voices of victims and their advocates, and hold those who perpetrate atrocities accountable.

Read the statement: https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/joint-statement-sudan-500-days/

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