UN Official Decries ‘Indifference and Impunity’ in Sudan Crisis

United Nations humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, UN photo

June 12, 2025 (GENEVA) – A senior U.N. humanitarian official on Thursday described Sudan as a grim example of global “indifference and impunity” and challenged the international community to make good on its promises to protect the country’s people.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said Sudan has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with half its population—30 million people—requiring lifesaving assistance.

“Again and again, the international community has said that we will protect the people of Sudan,” Fletcher said in a statement shared at a U.N. briefing. “The people of Sudan should ask us if, when and how we will start to deliver on that promise, because their country has become a grim example of twin themes of this moment: indifference and impunity.”

The war has left civilians trapped and starving, with indiscriminate shelling, drone attacks, and air strikes causing staggering numbers of casualties and displacement, the statement said.

“From Kordofan to Darfur, the war has left civilians trapped, starving, without the basics they need for their survival,” Fletcher said.

He called on all influential parties to demand accountability, protect civilians, and ensure safe access for humanitarian workers. Fletcher also urged immediate funding for aid operations and pressed for humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach the most severely affected areas.