United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the air strike in the Sudanese city of Omdurman on Saturday, which reportedly killed at least 22 people, and left dozens injured. Guterres “remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilizing the entire region”, according to his spokesman.
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement issued Saturday, the Secretary-General was appalled by reports of large-scale violence and casualties across Darfur. “He is also concerned about reports of renewed fighting in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing”, Haq said
Guterres reiterated his call for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to cease fighting and commit to a durable cessation of hostilities. “He also urges these parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians and to enable humanitarian action,” the statement said.
Fighting in Sudan has now entered its 13th week, with no end in sight after multiple failed ceasefire attempts. The country was plunged into chaos on April 15, when clashes erupted between forces loyal to two rival generals. Sudan's army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary RSF, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, have been fighting for nearly three months in Sudan, inflicting destruction on the capital, causing extensive violence in Khartoum and also in Darfur, a vast western region bordering Chad.
Since mid-April, nearly 3 million people have been forced to flee, including more than 2.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and some 700,000 refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, and other foreign nationals, who have crossed the borders into neighboring countries.
The major hosting countries include the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), most of the people displaced in Sudan have fled from Khartoum state and Darfur.
Humanitarian needs in Sudan were already at record levels before the situation deteriorated. The number of people in need of humanitarian aid stands now at 24.7 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population. Among them are 13 million children in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian support.
The armed conflict in the country is further exacerbating an already challenging hunger situation. The conflict has dramatically increased the number of people at highest risk of hunger – from 11.7 million to 19.1 million people.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), many people have been left stranded and cut off from basic humanitarian assistance in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan states due to the conflict. Worrying reports of displaced civilians including refugees experiencing life-threatening challenges while attempting to seek safety within the country and across borders have been received.
UNHCR said, due to the intensity of the conflict, vulnerable people have been left with little choice than to flee in extremely dangerous and difficult conditions, risking physical abuse, theft and banditry, and in some cases, denied movement out of conflict areas and forced back into harm’s way.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), insecurity and bureaucratic access impediments, attacks against humanitarian premises and warehouses continue to hamper the ability of humanitarian organizations to safely deliver aid.
Humanitarians are facing tremendous difficulties to reach people in need in conflict affected areas in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan, where the situation is extremely concerning. At least 15 aid workers have been killed since the start of the conflict, many more injured and some remain still unaccounted for.
Further information
Full text: Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on Sudan, Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, released July 8, 2023
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2023-07-08/statement-attributable-the-spokesperson-for-the-secretary-general-%E2%80%93-sudan