Nearly 100 humanitarian organizations and volunteers are urging Elon Musk to keep his Starlink network active in war-ravaged Sudan.
According to them, the network is vital in their operations as they seek to salvage lives in conflict-hit Sudan.
According to Business Insider Africa, SpaceX’s Starlink notified its customers worldwide via email about its plans to limit service in countries where it operates without a license. Sudan, the Northeast African country which is currently undergoing an intense civil war happens to be one of those countries.
Humanitarian and volunteer groups in the country heavily rely on Starlink in their day-to-day operations in the war-torn country and are now urging CEO Elon Musk not to limit Starlink services in the country as it is used by them to offer life-saving assistance to citizens.
In an open letter written by Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and other organizations in the region. The various bodies condemned the indiscriminate attacks and disruption of telecommunications by warring parties in the country and how it seriously affected volunteer and human rights operations while affecting citizens’ ability to cope with the effects of the war.
Due to their actions, essential and life-saving materials and services are unable to reach vulnerable citizens frustrating the efforts of volunteer organizations in the conflict.
The open letter by the organizations further argued the importance of internet access in conflict zones and how instrumental it is to save lives.
“When available, internet access has been instrumental in assisting civilians share and receive critical and often lifesaving information, including about safe areas and routes,”
“In areas where formal telecommunication is barely functioning, both civilians and local responders, such as Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), often connect through informal Starlink internet cafes.”
“The potential shutdown of Starlink would have a disproportionate effect on civilians and the aid organizations who are trying to reach them.” The Open letter reads in parts.
The volunteer bodies and human rights organizations called on stakeholders to put an end to the disruption of telecommunication services in the region calling it a violation of basic human rights.
They also called on all service providers to ensure connectivity in Sudan and must immediately ensure that access to the internet remains accessible without interruption or additional cost increases.
What to know
- Last year, Violent conflict broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. The fighting has dragged on for over a year destroying critical infrastructure and spearheading a vicious human crisis affecting about 25 million Sudanese.
- Sudan is now on the cusp of becoming the world’s worst hunger crisis already hitting the mark of the world’s worst displacement crisis.
