“Civilians [are] paying the highest price, shelling, airstrikes [are] continuing unabated, killing and injuring civilians, damaging and destroying critical infrastructure, including hospitals,” said Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.

“An epidemic of sexual violence rages,” he warned, adding that children are being killed and injured, amid reports of intensifying fighting in South Kordofan in recent weeks – “another state in which famine conditions have recently been confirmed”.

Speaking in Geneva, Mr. Fletcher explained that the UN 2025 humanitarian and refugee response plans for Sudan aim to assist nearly 26 million people inside the country and across the region who face a desperate situation.

After nearly two years of conflict, a staggering 12 million people in Sudan and across borders have been displaced.

The UN aid chief said that he welcomed a conversation just days ago with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces – “about the importance of keeping Adre crossing open [from Chad]. But this is a fraction of what is needed and each movement only happens after complex engagement and bureaucratic processes,” he stressed.