Security, humanitarian situation rapidly deteriorating in Sudan: UN

By Adel Abdel-Rahim

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – Head of the United Nations mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, warned Tuesday that the security and humanitarian situation in the country is rapidly deteriorating.

"Since the eruption of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces on 15 April 2023, the security, human rights and humanitarian situation continue to rapidly deteriorate across the country, particularly in the greater Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan areas," Perthes in a statement.

He said despite being unable to verify all alleged violations yet, the "information received from multiple civil society entities and human rights defenders’ networks paint a clear picture of the devastating scale of impact on the civilian population."

The UN envoy also said he is deeply alarmed from "allegations of sexual violence against women and girls."

Sudan has been ravaged by military clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group since mid-April.

More than 1,000 people have been killed and thousands injured in the violence, according to local medics.

The UN estimates that over 1 million residents have been displaced and more than 840,000 have sought shelter in rural areas and other states while another 250,000 have crossed Sudanese borders.

Perthes condemned all attacks against civilians in Sudan.

The UN "will continue its efforts to monitor the situation and avail its resources to engage with all parties to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict, in coordination with regional and international partners," he said.

Disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the two sides about integration of the RSF into the armed forces -- a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since fall 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar.