Sudan – An update

Practical Action joins calls for Eid ceasefire in Sudan.

We call upon the leaders of both sides in Sudan to agree on, and respect, a ceasefire to allow citizens to evacuate towns and cities where intense fighting is ongoing.

It is essential that the conflict is paused to allow civilians to escape and avoid more severe harm being caused to innocent people.

A lack of reliable supply of electricity and internet services mean we have been unable to remain in contact with many of our colleagues in recent days. When we were last in contact over the weekend, all Practical Action staff were safe.

We are also working to establish how staff can continue to receive their wages in the absence of an accessible banking system.

Practical Action has been forced to suspend most of our work. As a result, thousands of people are not getting vital support to help them live better lives in the face of climate change.

We are fully committed to the people of Sudan and determined to deliver our work once the situation returns to a state in which we can operate again. We are already discussing how to ensure this can happen with our donors and partners.

Akinyi Walender, Africa director at Practical Action, said, “My Sudanese colleagues had set up communication structures to allow them all to stay in touch with each other and offer support, which is so important at this time.

“The internet blackout will make this difficult and they will feel even more isolated. I am extremely concerned about them all.

“I know how committed our staff are to helping people in the country adapt to the climate crisis, the consequences of which are currently being played out across of the Sahel region.

“The current crisis underlines why our work in Sudan is vital. Not only must we react to the effects of the current crisis, we must also remain committed to dealing with the long-term root causes of it.

“For decades, Practical Action staff have been helping people in Sudan and Darfur adapt to their changing environment, often in highly unstable areas of the country, where people have been traumatised by conflict.

Practical Action has offices in Khartoum, North Darfur, Blue Nile and Kassala. Last year we reached 600,000 people in Sudan, working with them to help them adapt and be resilient to climate change.