On Tuesday, the UN chief of mission in Sudan condemned the “disregard for the laws and norms of war” in the fighting, which has seen people and hospitals attacked.
“Both of the warring parties have fought with disregard for the laws and norms of war, attacking densely populated areas, with little consideration for civilians, for hospitals, or even for vehicles transferring the wounded and sick,” Volker Perthes told the UN Security Council.
The United States established a 72-hour cease-fire Monday between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de-facto leader, and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which was largely respected Tuesday in Khartoum, where the two generals have been warring for control.
However, combat around strategic places in the city, including the international airport, “has largely continued or in some cases intensified,” Perthes said from Port Sudan, in the country’s east, where the UN and other organizations have transferred some of their people.
“There is yet no unequivocal sign that either is ready to seriously negotiate, suggesting that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible.”
The fighting, Perthes said, “has created a humanitarian catastrophe with civilians bearing the brunt.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern that the crisis may spread to other countries in the area.
“Sudan borders seven countries, all of which have either been involved in conflict or seen serious civil unrest over the past decade,” he said.
“The power struggle in Sudan is not only putting that country’s future at risk. It is lighting a fuse that could detonate across borders, causing immense suffering for years, and setting development back by decades.
