UN refugee chief calls Sudan war 'shameful' as asylum system frays

Barham Salih, the UN's refugee chief, didn't mince words about Sudan. In an interview with FRANCE 24, he called the war there shameful and pressed for a political solution to end it. The conflict, now in its fourth year, has displaced millions and left, in his words, hundreds of thousands of people killed, maimed and traumatised. The world should not let this happen in the 21st century, he said — calling it embarrassing at the very least.

Salih is new to the job. A former president of Iraq who was himself once a refugee, he took the helm of UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, in January. He arrives at a moment when forced displacement is at a record high, and he warns that funding cuts are hitting people in dire need. Efficiency has its limits, he said.

The money squeeze is already visible on the ground. Salih said the impact of US funding cuts has been drastic, while crediting the EU with increasing its support to the agency. In Adré, Chad, UNHCR could only give refugees eight litres of water per person per day. In Gambela, Ethiopia, a community of some 60,000 refugees has just one doctor. This is not acceptable, Salih said.

The refugee chief also pushed back hard on the politics of asylum. He said the system is under threat amid a debate he described as politicised and even weaponised, and he defended what he called the integrity of that system. Asylum is not competing with immigration control, he argued — the two are in fact complementary.