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STORY: UN / SUDAN DENISE BROWN PRESSER
TRT: 04:22
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 13 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN headquarters
13 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan:
“As we finish the third year of the war, I wanted to comment that we really are on repeat in Sudan - repeats of sexual violence, repeated displacement, repeated deaths. So, you know, it feels like we're stuck in this cycle, and everything is being repeated.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan:
“As you know, the Office of Human Rights, OHCHR, has documented some very important findings. First of all, on the patterns of sexual violence - I've spoken to you about that before, I've spoken to many of the media outlets about this. It's well documented: rape and gang rape. You will have seen the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) report for Darfur a few weeks ago, entitled “No Safe Space Left for Women and Girls in Darfur," and they've treated, over the past year, close to 2,500 survivors of sexual violence. So, the patterns are established, and these women and girls are feeling the consequences of this. And what we also need to be addressing here is the impregnation of these women and girls, and the consequences for them, for the families, for the communities, and of course most particularly for these children.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan:
“Second of all, as you know, which are documented, the atrocities - the mass atrocities around El-Fasher: 6,000 people killed in three days. And that's only what we could verify; we actually believe the number is much higher. And of course, lastly, the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan refers now to the hallmarks of genocide. So, you know, as I go through all of that with you - and we're in the UN, speaking openly about the atrocities, the repeat of the atrocities - the question is, why isn't the world outraged enough to do something about it? What has to happen more? What more has to happen for everyone to sit up and pay attention, to find a solution?”
8. Wide shot, press briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan:
“Prevention is the key here - preventing these atrocities. We need to look, the member states need to look at the war economy, the resources that are being used, and the flow of the weapons, in order really to find a solution to this war. The humanitarian community - we're here, we're present. I'm in Khartoum today. We have big teams all over the country, between the UN, the international NGOs and the national NGOs. And I've said it before: we are here picking up the pieces. We are not the solution. And I feel like there is such a huge amount of time and attention spent on the humanitarian crisis by those who perhaps could be looking at a pathway to peace.”
10. Wide shot, press briefing room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan:
“Our areas of concern right now: Dilling - I was in Dilling in March, we were there when the town was attacked. It's under daily attacks right now. Our convoys are not able to get in. We know the people who remained, who I spoke to in March, are trying to leave again. Again, another call for safe passage for these people. And of course, you will have seen what's happening in the Blue Nile - I'm headed there this week. Close to 30,000 people displaced by the conflict.”
12. Wide shot, press briefing room
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan:
“I just want to finish with: we were 35 percent funded in 2025, and now in 2026 we need 2.9 billion dollars. And that's really hyper-prioritized. We are 16 percent funded. And understand that when we get a tent, that tent, I don't have a magic wand, that tent doesn't become six tents. That tent is one tent. So, imagine what we are able to do with 16 percent of what we need. I am very grateful to the donors, but it's also true that this is the largest, most complex emergency, and we really need there to be a huge focus on finding a solution. And while they're looking for that solution, to fund, so that the bare necessities of what the people of Sudan need are met. And a plea from me: please don't call this the forgotten crisis. I'm referring to this as an abandoned crisis.”
14. Wide shot, press briefing room
The UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan called the three-year-old conflict there “an abandoned crisis,” warning that the scale of atrocities has yet to move the world to act.
Briefing reporters in New York today (13 Apr) UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan Denise Brown said the situation in the country has become a cycle of suffering with no end in sight.
“We really are on repeat in Sudan - repeats of sexual violence, repeated displacement, repeated deaths,” Brown said. “It feels like we're stuck in this cycle, and everything is being repeated.”
Brown said the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR, had documented patterns of sexual violence, citing a recent MSF report for Darfur entitled “No Safe Space Left for Women and Girls in Darfur.” The organization has treated close to 2,500 survivors of sexual violence over the past year.
“What we also need to be addressing here is the impregnation of these women and girls, and the consequences for them, for the families, for the communities, and of course most particularly for these children,” she said.
Brown said OHCHR had also documented mass atrocities around El-Fasher, where 6,000 people were killed in three days - a figure she said was likely an undercount. She noted that the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan now refers to the hallmarks of genocide.
“Why isn't the world outraged enough to do something about it? What has to happen more? What more has to happen for everyone to sit up and pay attention, to find a solution,” she said.
Brown, speaking from Khartoum, said the humanitarian community was present across the country but was not the solution. “We are here picking up the pieces,” she said, calling on member states to examine the war economy and the flow of weapons into the country.
She flagged Dilling as an active area of concern, saying the town has been under daily attacks since she visited in March, with convoys unable to get in and residents trying to flee again. She said she was also heading to the Blue Nile, where close to 30,000 people had been displaced.
On funding, Brown said the humanitarian response plan was only 16 percent funded against a 2.9 billion dollars ask for 2026, after closing 2025 at 35 percent. “When we get a tent, that tent, … doesn't become six tents. That tent is one tent,” she said.
“Please don't call this the forgotten crisis,” Brown also stated her personal plea. “I'm referring to this as an abandoned crisis.”
