United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate halt to fighting in Sudan on Thursday and appealed for a three-day cease-fire to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to enable trapped civilians to seek safety and supplies. Clashes have entered their seventh day in Sudan on Friday. More than 413 people have been killed due to fighting in the capital Khartoum and several other states, including Darfur. Another 3,551 people have been injured.
Sudan’s paramilitary declared a cease-fire with the military for the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan Friday, but it failed as bombing and shelling rocked the capital, Khartoum. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it had agreed to a 72-hour truce on humanitarian grounds, starting at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) local time, to coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
The leader of the Sudanese army, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, did not mention a cease-fire in a recorded speech. In a televised message to the nation Friday, Burhan reiterated the commitment of the military to restore stability in the country.
He extended his message of Eid to all Sudanese people despite the ongoing fighting for the restoration of a “civilian rule” in Sudan. Burhan said he remains hopeful the military will win the battle, and he vowed to restore peace and stability. Wisdom and strength will protect the country, he said, and allow a safe transition to civilian rule.
The army later issued statement saying it had agreed on a three-day truce, but fighting continued nevertheless.
Clashes between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted Saturday after months of rising tensions over the country's political future and the RSF's planned integration into the national army.
On Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate halt to fighting and appealed for a three-day cease-fire to mark the end of Ramadan to enable trapped civilians to seek safety and supplies.
“This must be the first step in providing respite from the fighting and paving the way for a permanent cease-fire,” Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York Thursday.
He had just met virtually with the heads of the African Union, Arab League and regional bloc the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), as well as representatives from other countries with influence. The session yielded no breakthroughs.
Guterres has been working the phones to achieve a de-escalation since violence erupted last Saturday between former allies, now rivals, Army Commander General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
“The cessation of hostilities must be followed by serious dialogue allowing for the successful transition, starting with the appointment of a civilian government,” the UN chief said.
Guterres told reporters it is “virtually impossible” for aid workers to conduct operations in the current state of hostilities, and he demanded that fighters stop targeting humanitarians.
At least five aid workers have been killed so far. Ohers have been harassed and intimidated. There have also been reports of sexual assaults on aid workers. Warehouses have been attacked, looted and seized. The World Food Progamme said 4,000 metric tons of food was stolen at one of its depots in Nyala, south Darfur.
“There were no humanitarian services provided to Sudanese the last five days, simply because it’s not possible for any humanitarian workers to move outside of their home location or their compound,” the acting UN humanitarian and resident coordinator for Sudan, Abdou Dieng, told reporters by phone from the country.
He said the UN is hoping for a cease-fire to move staff in more dangerous areas to safer zones but noted that what is safe one day may not be safe the next.
According to Sudanese authorities, more than 413 people have been killed and around 3,550 wounded. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says at least 9 children have reportedly been killed in the fighting, and more than 50 children injured as hostilities continue.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that people have been unable to safely leave their homes to buy food and other essentials for days now. Humanitarian pauses must be ensured to enable the safe passage of civilians, so that they can seek medical care and access basic provisions.
The UN has warned that Sudan’s health care system “could completely collapse.” Hospitals need more staff and essential supplies, including blood. At least 20 hospitals already have closed, according to Sudan’s minister of health. At least nine in the capital, Khartoum, are closed, with the potential for a dozen more to soon close, according to the United Nations.
The humanitarian response in Sudan remains severely hampered. Many states have interrupted humanitarian activities. OCHA says attacks against aid workers and looting of humanitarian facilities must stop. Its partner organizations are mobilizing resources in the region so that they’re in a position to replenish stocks and ensure a rapid response once the security situation allows.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said Thursday that between 10,000-20,000 Sudanese have fled this week into neighboring Chad. UN officials say there are also reports of people arriving in South Sudan and at the border area between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The majority of those arriving in Chad are women and children, who are currently sheltering out in the open. Eastern Chad already hosts over 400,000 refugees from Sudan and the new arrivals are placing additional strain on the country's overstretched public services and resources.
The fighting between the army and RSF broke out after months of rising tensions over the country’s political future and plans to integrate the RSF into the national army.
Calls to end the fighting have come from around the world and within Africa, including the African Union, the Arab League and IGAD. The presidents of Kenya, South Sudan and Djibouti say they plan to travel to Sudan in the coming days to hold discussions with the leaders.
But Sudan's two top generals have yet to express a willingness to negotiate, and each has demanded the other's surrender. The clashes are part of a power struggle between Burhan, who also heads Sudan’s ruling military council, and Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, the deputy head of the council.
The two generals joined forces in October 2021 to overthrow the transitional government formed after the 2019 ouster of longtime autocratic leader Omar al-Bashir. The restructuring of the military was part of an effort to restore the country to civilian rule and end the political crisis.
Due to the complex crisis in Sudan, a third of the country’s population were already in need of humanitarian assistance at the beginning of this year. The UN estimates that some 15.8 million people will require humanitarian aid across Sudan in 2023. Among them are 8.5 million children.
A quarter of Sudan's population - 11.7 million people - are severely food insecure. Over 3 million children under 5 currently suffer from acute malnutrition in the country, with an estimated 650,000 children under 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), Sudan hosts about 1.2 million refugees, one of the largest refugee populations in Africa. Some 3.7 million Sudanese are internally displaced, mostly in the Darfur region that has experienced a volatile security situation since 2003. More than 800,000 Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries.
Some information for this report provided by VOA.