(United Nations) The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday expressed to the head of the Sudanese army, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, his “deep concern” about the “escalation” of the conflict in Sudan, while humanitarians denounced the “hell” experienced by civilians.
UN chief Antonio Guterres, who met with General al-Burhan on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, “expressed his deep concern over the escalation of the conflict in Sudan, which continues to have a devastating impact on Sudanese civilians and threatens to spill over into the region,” according to a statement from his spokesperson.
The two men also discussed “the need for an immediate and lasting ceasefire” and “unhindered” humanitarian access.
“Conditions there are apocalyptic,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
If people are not killed by bullets, they starve. If they survive, they face disease or floods or the threat of sexual violence and other horrific abuses that, if they happened anywhere else, would make headlines. Here, they don’t.
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Since April 2023, a war has been raging between the army, led by General al-Burhane, and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of his former deputy, General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo.
The fighting has left tens of thousands dead, more than 10 million displaced and nearly 26 million people – half the population – facing severe food insecurity, according to the UN.
“Senseless War”
“This humanitarian catastrophe is man-made: by a senseless war that has created horrific violence and by cruel restrictions on the delivery of food, water and medicine to those who are its victims,” the US ambassador said at a conference on Sudan at the UN on Wednesday.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced a new $424 million package of humanitarian aid for Sudanese in the country and those seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
“Rapes and torture, ethnic cleansing, the use of hunger as a weapon are unacceptable,” she said, calling for “not looking the other way.”
At the conference, UN agencies and member states called for “concrete measures” to protect civilians and increase humanitarian aid, which is largely insufficient.
“The people of Sudan have just lived through 17 months of hell and the suffering continues,” said Joyce Msuya, acting head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), who announced the release of $25 million from the UN emergency fund to combat the spread of famine in the country.
The Sudanese authorities recently allowed the opening of the Adre crossing point on the border with Chad to allow aid to be delivered to Darfur, a region particularly affected by the conflict. But the aid remains largely insufficient to meet the needs of the population.
The United States, the European Union, France and Germany have called for an immediate ceasefire, expressing concern about foreign interference.
“Foreign actors” should “refrain from providing military support to warring parties,” they added in a joint statement, while the United Arab Emirates in particular is accused of supplying weapons to the FSR.