Sudan's RSF Restricts Aid Amid Famine, Relief Workers Report

RSF Imposes New Aid Restrictions

• ⚠️ Paramilitary forces in Sudan, the RSF, are reportedly imposing new constraints on aid deliveries in areas they control.
• 📌 These restrictions are particularly concerning as they affect regions experiencing spreading famine.
• 🎯 Aid workers have accused RSF fighters of previously looting aid and now demand higher fees and oversight of operations, including hiring local staff and security.

Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

• 🌍 The conflict, which began as a power struggle between the Sudanese Army and the RSF, has led to what the UN calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
• 👥 Approximately half of Sudan's 50 million citizens suffer from acute hunger, primarily in territories held or threatened by the RSF.
• ⚖️ Aid groups face an impossible choice due to these demands, with life-saving aid hanging in the balance.

Bureaucratic Hurdles and RSF Motives

• 📜 Aid groups are required to register with an RSF-administered agency, leading to arbitrary delays and rejected travel permits if they don't comply.
• 💰 These bureaucratic controls are partly driven by the RSF's quest for international legitimacy and a way to raise funds amid military setbacks.
• 🗺️ The restrictions are heavily impacting the western region of Darfur, where famine is prevalent and hundreds of thousands of displaced people are at greater risk of starvation.

Denials and Ongoing Restrictions

• 🗣️ Both warring parties deny impeding aid, with the RSF's relief agency claiming they are exercising legal rights.
• 🚫 Despite agreements to suspend directives, aid groups report that restrictions continue.
• 📈 The RSF is attempting to form a parallel government in Western Sudan while facing military pressure in the capital, Khartoum.