Sudanese people live a ‘nightmare of violence and hunger’: UN chief | Sudan War News

The Sudanese people are living a “nightmare of violence, hunger and displacement,” and many others are facing “unspeakable atrocities,” including widespread violations, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the United Nations Security Council on Monday. UN.

It highlighted “shocking reports of mass killings and sexual violence” in villages in the central-eastern province of Gezira. The UN and a group of doctors said paramilitary fighters wreaked havoc in the region in a multi-day attack that killed more than 120 people in one town.

The UN chief said the country’s warring military and paramilitary forces are escalating attacks with outside powers “fueling the fire” and intensifying the nightmare of hunger and disease for millions.

Guterres warned that the 18-month war faces the serious possibility of “igniting regional instability from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.”

War broke out in Sudan in mid-April 2023 from a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule, triggering the largest displacement crisis. of the world. More than 11 million people have fled their homes, including three million to neighboring countries.

The war has killed more than 24,000 people so far, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a group that has monitored the conflict since it began.

“Sudan, once again, is rapidly becoming a nightmare of mass ethnic violence,” Guterres said, referring to a conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region about 20 years ago that led the International Criminal Court to indict former Sudanese leaders. of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Up to 750,000 people face “catastrophic food insecurity” and famine conditions in displacement sites in North Darfur, he said.

The UN chief urged both sides to agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities, ensure the protection of civilians for whom they bear primary responsibility, and allow humanitarian aid to reach millions of people in need.

Guterres added that he is “horrified” by reports that RSF paramilitaries continue to attack civilians in the North Darfur capital, El Fasher, and surrounding areas, including displacement sites where famine has been confirmed.

He said those who violate international humanitarian law must be held accountable.

Not enough help?

Additionally, the UN said nearly 25 million people – half of Sudan’s population – need help as famine has gripped displacement camps and 11 million people have fled their homes. Almost three million of those people have gone to other countries.

“This is not just a question of insufficient funding. “Millions of people are hungry because of access,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council.

Thomas-Greenfield said Washington was alarmed that instead of facilitating aid, Sudanese authorities “continue to undermine, intimidate and attack humanitarian officials.” He said they need to expand and rationalize humanitarian movements.

The Sudanese military-backed government is committed to facilitating the delivery of aid throughout the country, including areas controlled by the RSF, according to Sudan’s ambassador to the UN, Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed. He said 10 border crossings and seven airports had been opened for aid delivery.

The three-month approval given by Sudanese authorities for the UN and aid groups to use the Adre border crossing with Chad to reach Darfur is set to expire in mid-November.

“There are 30 trucks that crossed the Adre border crossing loaded with advanced weaponry and ammunition, and this caused a serious escalation in Al Fashir and other places,” Mohamed said. “We realized that thousands of mercenaries from Africa and the Sahel entered the country… through Adre. “The Adre border crossing is truly a threat to national security.”

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, told the UN Security Council that it was up to the Sudanese government to decide whether the Adre crossing would remain open beyond mid-November and that it would be “inappropriate to put pressure” on the government.

“We are categorically opposed to the politicization of humanitarian assistance,” he said. “We believe that any humanitarian assistance should be carried out and delivered only with central authorities in the know.”