By Serdar Dincel
ISTANBUL (AA) – The US ambassador to the UN on Monday called on all regional countries to stop providing arms support to the warring parties in North African country of Sudan.
"Armed actors in Sudan must respect international law and protect civilians, and recall the ICC’s (International Criminal Court) jurisdiction to investigate war crimes," Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters, adding: "All regional powers must stop providing weapons to both parties in accordance with the UN arms embargo."
Citing reports that the paramilitary RSF and its allied militias have razed multiple villages west of El Fasher, the largest city in the Darfur, and are planning an attack on the city, she said: “History is repeating itself in Darfur in the worst possible way.”
Stressing that "an attack on El Fasher would be a disaster on top of a disaster," she added: "A crisis of epic proportions is brewing, and to avoid further death, destruction, and suffering five things need to happen, immediately."
Emphasizing that "the RSF must end its siege and build-up of military forces in El Fasher, and swear off any attack on the city," Greenfield urged all conflicting parties to "take urgent steps to de-escalate."
She called on belligerent parties to "engage in direct negotiations in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). Because this conflict will not be solved on the battlefield, it will be solved at the negotiating table."
Greenfield also stressed the importance of enabling "full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access, including cross-border and cross-line access."
The Sudanese army controls El Fasher, and it is supported by armed movements that signed the Juba peace agreement with the government in 2020.
The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 over disagreements to integrate the RSF into the army between army Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The conflict has caused a devastating humanitarian crisis, and clashes have killed nearly 16,000 people and displaced millions.
On March 29, Sudan filed a complaint with the UN Security Council against the United Arab Emirates for allegedly supporting the RSF, which the UAE denied.
*Writing by Serdar Dincel from Istanbul