Weaponized thirst: Preventing access to water in Sudan a serious human rights violation

Caught in the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), large areas of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, have been under a fierce siege since the end of last October, but the most distressing thing remains the thirst that these neighborhoods suffer due to water scarcity.

Activists and NGOs tried to draw the attention of the international community to the humanitarian crisis and the needs that Khartoum’s residents lack after the widespread violations, siege, and prevention of safe access to food and drinking water.

“Water scarcity began just in the third week of the war after most water stations that supply Khartoum residents with drinking water were damaged due to repeated power outages. The matter caused a complete water outage in some neighborhoods, while others suffered from severe scarcity,” a young Khartoum resident in his twenties told Jusoor Post on condition of anonymity.

‎“At the end of last August, the crew of workers at the Al-Muqrin water station was attacked and one of them was arrested. Since that time, the only source available to us has been using carts to bring water from distant neighborhoods, which are sold at a price of 8,000 SDG (about $13.30) per barrel. Unfortunately, we have lost even this source due to the severe siege that was imposed on our neighborhood, as the Rapid Support Forces prevented the entry of carts, and we were forced to use the Nile water,” the young man continued.

“What made matters worse was that those days coincided with the Nile flood time, during which it is turbid and full of plankton and viruses, which exposes the health of citizens to great risks, especially with the lack of health care that we suffer,” he added.

This period witnessed repeated calls by civil emergency room committees, activists, and humanitarian organizations to urgently intervene in order to open safe passages for civilians in those areas, who are subjected to various violations by the two conflicting parties.

Water is a human right

Access to safe drinking water and sanitation are internationally recognized human rights, as derived from the right to an adequate standard of living under Article 11(1) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a historical resolution recognizing “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.” Furthermore, since 2015, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council have recognized both the right to safe drinking water and the right to sanitation as closely related but distinct human rights.

But this has not been the case in the daily reality of Khartoum during the war, which is approaching the completion of its tenth month and which is steadily creeping towards bifurcation, internationalization, and complete disregard for the victims on both sides of the war.

Speaking to Jusoor Post, a water coordinator in the Khartoum Bahri (Khartoum North) Emergency Room said, “We are coordinating between the basic emergency rooms at the neighborhood level and international organizations that help us mitigate the effects of the war. There are three water desalination plants in the Khartoum Bahri area, all of which were severely damaged, and their repair requires a complete ceasefire.”

“Since last August, we have been relying on humanitarian organizations to provide stable funding for water and electricity. We are also working to provide sufficient budgets to dig new wells to ensure the provision of safe and sustainable drinking water,” said the water coordinator, refraining from mentioning the names of these organizations.

For those stuck in the middle of war, the lack of food and water supplies is the second reason behind leaving their homes. More than nine months after the outbreak of war, the situation of people has become extremely bad, especially those who live far from the Nile. Recently, there have been many health complaints about the harmful effects of drinking salty water brought from wells far from the Nile.