The UN chief and the authorities condemned the fighting between the Sudanese forces
The senior officials were responding to the outbreak of clashes between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in several parts of the capital Khartoum and other areas outside the capital, on Saturday morning .
According to media reports, RSF claimed to have taken control of Khartoum international airport, Merowe airport, al-Obeid airport and the government palace.
The RSF, Sudan’s independent armed forces, grew out of the Janjaweed militia, previously operating in the country’s Darfur region. The organization has been involved in discussions aimed at transitioning from a military government in place from 2021, to a civilian government.
‘Immediately stop fighting’
A statement attributed to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General noted the UN chief’s call for the leaders of the Rapid Assistance Forces and the Sudanese armed forces to “immediately end the fighting, restore calm and start dialogue to resolve the current crisis,” and for Member States in the region to support efforts to restore and return to the transition to civil law.
The integration of the RSF into the armed forces has been one of the issues under discussion, as part of the UN-backed political agreement in February, after months of negotiations.
However, in a Security Council meeting on March 20, Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan and Head of the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), warned that tensions between the Sudanese Army and the RSF has risen in recent weeks, and calls for de-escalation.
In his statement on the current conflict, Mr. Perthes has contacted both parties asking them for an immediate cessation of hostilities, to ensure the safety of the Sudanese people, and to save the country from further violence.
‘More violence will make things worse’
Mr Guterres also raised concerns over the “devastating” impact any further escalation in the conflict would have on civilians, further worsening the already precarious humanitarian situation in the country.
Similar concerns were raised on Saturday by Martin Griffiths, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. In a TweetMr Griffiths said more violence would make things worse for the nearly 16 million people, around a third of the population, who need humanitarian assistance.
An update on the humanitarian situation in Sudan, released on April 13 by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), notes that humanitarian needs across Sudan are at an all-time high, with the conflict one of the the four most important risks. , alongside natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and economic damage.
Volker Türk, UN rights chief, expresses alarm in the open, Tweeting on Saturday that the Sudanese people “deserve better.” Mr. Türk wrote that a “voice of reason” is urgently needed, to stop the violence and “return to the previously promising path towards peace and civil change.”
