Sudan: Situation simply horrifying - Security Council Briefing | United Nations

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee said that the situation in Sudan is “simply horrifying.” Briefing the Security Council today Pobee said that the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra has invited both parties, the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, to separately enter into technical talks with the UN, focused on de-escalation and the protection of civilians. She added that both parties have shown encouraging signs of their willingness to engage. She reported, “The conflict in Sudan has deteriorated even further. It has caused widespread suffering and new surges of horrific violence. After more than 500 days under siege, the city of El Fasher in North Darfur has been captured by the Rapid Support Forces. Only small pockets of resistance remain.” She continued, “Other parts of the country have not been spared from the relentless violence. In recent weeks, fighting has intensified in the Kordofan region. This is likely the next arena of military focus for the warring parties. In North Kordofan, the city of Bara, just 40 kilometers from the state capital of El Obeid and a strategic location for both sides, was captured by the Rapid Support Forces last week. This marked another escalation on the ground. Drone strikes by both parties are also affecting new territories and new targets. These include Blue Nile, Khartoum, Sennar, South Kordofan and West Darfur, suggesting that the territorial scope of the conflict is broadening.” She stressed, “The risk of mass atrocities, ethnically targeted violence and further violations of international humanitarian law, including sexual violence, remains alarmingly high across the country, and particularly in El Fasher. The situation is simply horrifying.” She highlighted, “Communications have been cut off. The situation is chaotic. In this context, it is difficult to estimate the number of civilians killed. Despite commitments to protect civilians, the reality is that no one is safe in El Fasher.” Pobee urged Member States with leverage over the parties to encourage them to take this critical step and called on the Security Council to use all tools available to demand peace in Sudan. She said, “Reports and warnings about the unfolding catastrophe in El Fasher have been issued for months. Thus far, the Unted Nations Security Council has not taken decisive action to prevent the situation from deteriorating. We must all play our part in helping to bring this devastating war to an end.”


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