In Western Darfur, people receive emergency food rations.
The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Rosemary Dicarlo, told the Security Council today that Sudan has been ravaged by war for more than a year, with more than 14,000 people killed and tens injured. The belligerents have ignored the calls of all parties in the international community for a ceasefire, and regional conflicts have been escalating. DiCarlo reiterated the Secretary-General's appeal to all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid further bloodshed.
The humanitarian situation is dire
DiCarlo noted that the Sudanese people have suffered unbearably. Half of the country's population, or 25 million people, is in dire need of life-saving assistance. In addition, more than 8.6 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Of those, 1.8 million people crossed the border to become refugees.
DiCarlo also referred to multiple allegations of atrocities, such as the widespread use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, the recruitment of children by parties to the conflict, the widespread use of torture and prolonged arbitrary detention. In addition, thousands of homes, schools, hospitals and other basic civilian infrastructure have been destroyed, as well as a large number of productive sectors have been destroyed, paralyzing the Sudanese economy.
"The crisis that Sudan is experiencing is extremely serious and entirely man-made," she stressed. ”
The conflict is intensifying
DiCarlo said the warring parties have ignored international calls and continued to recruit civilians and intensify preparations for war, causing the conflict to sweep through much of Sudan and continue to spread.
She noted that reports that the Rapid Support Forces might attack El Fasher, adding to the uncertainty of the conflict. If the fighting continues in El Fasher, it could trigger bloody inter-communal conflict in Darfur and prevent humanitarian access from reaching an area on the brink of famine. At the same time, Khartoum remains the epicentre of hostilities, with the Sudanese Armed Forces intensifying air strikes in several locations and the escalation of clashes in and around Gezira.
A call for peace
DiCarlo stressed the need for warring parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law and to abide by the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to the Protection of Sudanese Civilians. The conflict in Sudan has been fuelled by the sanctions regime imposed by some external forces in support of a political settlement, which is "illegal and immoral and must stop".
She noted that the Jeddah Declaration provided a powerful tool for dialogue between the warring parties in order to reach agreement on a ceasefire and related transitional security arrangements, which would be reconvened in the coming weeks.
"Renewing peace also means continuing to support and empower civilians, including women's rights groups and youth, to carry out our work on the democratic transition," DiCarlo said.
She welcomed the outcome of the recent International Humanitarian Conference on the Sudan, which included overwhelming support for humanitarian efforts. To that end, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sudan, Lamamra, proposed the convening of a multi-stakeholder conference to develop a comprehensive mediation and peace strategy.
