Emergency Response Rooms Explained

Native Name:غرف الطوارئ
Native Name Lang:ar
Abbreviation:ERRs
Type:Grassroots Aid Network (NGO)[1]
Status:Unregistered
Purpose:Humanitarian aid
Location City:28 ERRs in 8 states, including Khartoum State, White Nile State, Sennar State, Kassala State, Al Qadarif State, Northern State, River Nile State, and North Darfur[2]
Leader Title:Spokesperson
Leader Name:Mukhtar Atif[3]
Leader Name2:Hajooj Kuka[4]
Affiliations:Sudanese resistance committees
Sudan Doctors' Syndicate
Volunteers:4,600
Volunteers Year:2024
Website:Khartoum State ERRs

The Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) in Sudan is a community-led initiative[5] that emerged from the Sudanese resistance committees which spearheaded the 2019 revolution.[6] [7] ERRs have played a vital role in humanitarian efforts amid the ongoing Sudanese civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which started on 15 April 2023.[8] [9]

As of February 2024, ERRs have provided help for more than four millions.[10] These volunteers have successfully evacuated tens of thousands of people from conflict zones,[11] provided essential services such as clean water and medical supplies,[12] and have kept the few operational hospitals stocked with necessary fuel and supplies.[13] [14] In addition to these efforts, ERRs have maintained vital water and communication infrastructure, ensuring that communities remain connected and have access to clean water.[15] [16] They also run community kitchens that feed millions of people,[17] addressing the severe food shortages caused by the conflict.[18] [19] EERs has also been active in responding to sexual violence cases during the civil war.[20]

In a statement by the office of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on 12 April 2024, the European Union "applauds[ed] the bravery and commitment of local and international humanitarian workers, particularly local NGOs and Emergency Response Rooms".[21]

Most ERRs are not legally registered. ERRs are community funded but also receives funds from Non-governmental organization, international development agencies,[22] charities, individuals,[23] and local businesses.[24] Nonetheless, in a press release in April 2024, U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district Ilhan Omar stated that there is a "need to significantly ramp up direct funding for Emergency Response Rooms – not only providing essential services but demonstrating our commitment to supporting civilian rule in Sudan."[25]

Nevertheless, ERRs have faced significant challenges, including being targeted by both sides of the civil war,[26] including arrest and abduction,[27] rape,[28] [29] and killing.[30] [31] For example, three ERRs volunteers were killed in 2023 while trying to assist civilians in Al Fiteihab, Khartoum,[32] and two more were killed in Naivasha Market.[33]

ERRs is considered as an example of the decolonisation of aid.[34] The decolonisation of aid refers to efforts to transform the international aid system by addressing and dismantling the power imbalances and colonial legacies that have historically shaped it.[35]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Khalafallah . Hamid . 2024-05-10 . Grassroots Aid Networks Are a Lifeline Amid Sudan's Humanitarian Catastrophe . 2024-07-29 . DAWN . en-US.
  2. Web site: Yousra . Elbagir . Yousra Elbagir . Sudan could be weeks away from a 'catastrophic hunger crisis' . 2024-07-29 . Sky News . en.
  3. Web site: Pietromarchi . Virginia . Sudan slips into famine as warring sides starve civilians . 2024-07-29 . Al Jazeera . en.
  4. Web site: The Conflict in Sudan the World Forgot . 2024-07-29 . Splinter . en-US.
  5. News: Harter . Fred . 2024-05-07 . 'A colonial mindset': why global aid agencies need to get out of the way . 2024-07-29 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  6. Web site: 2024-02-03 . Youth-led 'emergency rooms' shine rays of hope in war-torn Sudan UN News . 2024-07-29 . news.un.org . en.
  7. Web site: Mutual aid in Sudan: the future of aid? . 2024-07-29 . Humanitarian Practice Network . en-GB.
  8. Web site: Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) . 2024-07-29 . Shabaka . en-GB.
  9. Web site: Humanitarian Access SCORE Report: Sudan Humanitarian Outcomes . 2024-07-29 . humanitarianoutcomes.org.
  10. News: 2024-06-28 . Emergency Response Rooms Are Redefining Humanitarian Aid as They Go - GQ Middle East . 2024-07-29 . GQ Middle East . en-US.
  11. Web site: Homes . Hilary . 2024-03-08 . Sudan: Internet shutdown threatens delivery of humanitarian and emergency services . 2024-07-29 . Amnesty International Canada . en-US.
  12. Web site: 2024-03-24 . Under siege, Sudanese risk their lives to feed each other . 2024-07-29 . France 24 . en.
  13. Sudan Is Collapsing: Here's Why . 2024-07-26 . Cogito . 2024-07-29 . YouTube.
  14. Web site: 2024-03-08 . #Keepiton Sudan's internet shutdown threatens delivery of humanitarian and emergency services. . 2024-07-29 . Amnesty International . en.
  15. Web site: Pishon . 2023-12-19 . Local responders' experiences of delivering aid in Sudan - CSF . 2024-07-29 . CSFSudan . en.
  16. Web site: Empowering Communities, Piloting Multi-purpose Cash Distribution in Khartoum . 2024-07-29 . The CALP Network . en.
  17. News: Nasir . Rawh . 2024-06-25 . Sudan: 'We Survive Together' - the Communal Kitchens Fighting Famine in Khartoum . 2024-07-29 . The New Humanitarian . en.
  18. Web site: 2024-04-16 . Sudanese groups provide light amid year of darkness - Sudan ReliefWeb . 2024-07-29 . reliefweb.int . en.
  19. Web site: 2024-07-17 . The Sudan Crisis and Implications for Neighbouring Countries . 2024-07-29 . National Centre for Social Research . en.
  20. Web site: AFP . 2024-07-29 . Sexual violence rife in war-torn Sudan capital: Human Rights Watch . 2024-07-29 . The New Indian Express . en.
  21. Web site: Stano . Peter . 2024-04-12 . Sudan: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union one year into the conflict . European Council.
  22. Web site: 2024-04-15 . Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman at the International Humanitarian Conference on Sudan April 15, 2024 . 2024-07-29 . U.S. Agency for International Development . en.
  23. Web site: How to Help the People of Sudan? . 2024-07-29 . . en-US.
  24. Web site: ServiceSpace.org . Mutual Aid Networks Are Powering Sudan's Humanitarian Response . 2024-07-29 . KarunaNews: Responding with Compassion . en.
  25. News: Omar . Office of Rep Ilhan . 2024-04-16 . Sudan: Rep. Omar Statement on the One-Year Anniversary of the Sudanese Civil War . 2024-07-29 . United States House Of Representatives . en.
  26. Web site: umajulius . 2024-02-27 . Sudan: UN relief coordinator warns over attacks on volunteers . 2024-07-29 . Sudan Tribune . en-US.
  27. News: Gouja . Ahmed . 2024-05-30 . Sudan: How El Fasher Went From Darfur's Safe Haven to All-Out War . 2024-07-29 . The New Humanitarian . en.
  28. Web site: Carrera . Bianca . Sudan aid workers risk 'kidnap and rape', experts warn . 2024-07-29 . Al Jazeera . en.
  29. Osman . Mohamed . 2024-07-28 . "Khartoum is not Safe for Women!" . Human Rights Watch . en.
  30. Web site: Nashed . Mat . Are Sudan's civil society activists being targeted by both warring sides? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240504224905/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/4/1/are-sudans-civil-society-activists-being-targeted-by-both-warring-sides . 2024-05-04 . 2024-05-10 . Al Jazeera . en.
  31. Web site: Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Ukraine OCHA . 2024-07-29 . www.unocha.org . en.
  32. Web site: 2024-03-06 . Millions go hungry as war and waves of ethnic killing disrupt food supply in Sudan . 2024-07-29 . NBC News . en.
  33. News: 2024-05-27 . Sudan: North Darfur Civilians Flee 'Catastrophic Escalation' in Conflict . 2024-07-29 . Dabanga . en.
  34. News: Harter . Fred . 2024-05-07 . 'A colonial mindset': why global aid agencies need to get out of the way . 2024-08-02 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  35. Web site: Aly . Heba . Heba Aly (journalist) . 2022-08-12 . Ten efforts to decolonise aid . The New Humanitarian.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Emergency Response Rooms".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.