Clashes continue between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, while the two sides exchanged accusations of being responsible for storming prisons and releasing their inmates, including symbols of the former regime. While the Rapid Support Forces said that the army attacked, with artillery and warplanes, the positions of its forces at the Republican Palace, the army said that the Rapid Support Forces continued to violate the armistice by attempting to attack the headquarters of the Central Capital Region.
The clashes led to a shortage of food, medicine and money, and people flocked to buses bound for the borders with neighboring countries or to Port Sudan, where they could depart from the city’s port on ferries bound for Saudi Arabia. The Sudanese Ministry of Health announced that 512 people have been killed and 4,193 injured since the beginning of the clashes, and called on both sides to move away from health facilities to facilitate the movement of doctors. The World Health Organization said that 60% of health facilities in Khartoum are closed, meaning that only 16% of health facilities operate in Sudan, and more deaths are expected in Sudan due to lack of services, and 14% of facilities have been bombed since the start of the battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
Humanitarian aid The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, warned of a humanitarian catastrophe threatening Sudan, as fighting continued there for the 11th day in a row. Guterres said during a session of the Security Council to discuss the situation in Sudan that a third of the population needed humanitarian assistance before the crisis, warning that the number would rise sharply after the past ten days. Stressing that “there is no solution on the battlefield, and the conflict may cause a long, large-scale war.” He added that the Sudanese people have made clear their strong desire for peace and the restoration of civilian rule through a transition to democracy. The Secretary-General of the United Nations also reaffirmed the commitment of the international organization to remain in Sudan and to provide support to the Sudanese people. Guterres said, during an open meeting convened by the UN Security Council, on Tuesday evening in New York, to discuss developments in the situation on the ground in Sudan, that the clashes continued despite all international and local appeals and calls for a cease-fire, stressing that at least 427 people were killed, including four. United Nations employees, more than 3,700 others were injured and tens of thousands fled their homes.
He drew attention to the fact that the reports coming from Khartoum paint a bleak picture of people trapped inside homes, panic, and a shortage of food, water, medicine and fuel, warning that health services are on the verge of collapse. He added that according to the World Health Organization, militants use many hospitals. He also warned of the deterioration of conditions in a region that has witnessed many conflicts, saying: “Sudan borders seven countries, all of which have either engaged in conflict or witnessed serious civil unrest over the past decade. It is a gateway to the Sahel region, where insecurity and political instability exacerbate the catastrophic humanitarian situation. Poverty and hunger are spreading in the region, and the climate emergency, the price crisis and high debt levels are all taking a heavy toll. The Secretary-General of the United Nations stressed that “humanitarian aid in some areas is what prevents famine from occurring,” warning that “the struggle for power in Sudan not only threatens the future of the country, but may lead to ignition of situations outside the borders of Sudan, which may cause Enormous suffering that will continue for years, not to mention the regression of the progress achieved in development in some areas. In the same context, the head of the United Nations Mission in Sudan, Volker Peretz, said that homes, shops, schools, water and electricity facilities, mosques and hospitals were damaged or completely destroyed.
Evacuations Many countries of the world have intensified their efforts to evacuate their nationals and members of their diplomatic missions from Sudan by land, sea and air, in light of the current developments in Sudan as a result of armed clashes between the army forces and the Rapid Support Forces for the second week in a row. On Sudan’s borders with its neighbors, long lines of civilians fleeing the violent battles that have been raging in the country for 12 days between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. Exhausted civilians wait for long hours at the borders in difficult conditions, hoping to cross to safety, amid obstacles some of which are related to travel visas, which exacerbate their suffering and prolong their waiting time. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it expects about 270,000 refugees to cross Sudan’s borders heading towards Chad and South Sudan, according to a report published by the Guardian.
Stop the violence The Muslim World League called for stopping military operations in Sudan and giving priority to the interest of the Sudanese people in this difficult circumstance. In a statement yesterday, it also commended the great diplomatic efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to resolve the Sudanese crisis, and to communicate with all the conflicting parties, to reach a comprehensive and peaceful solution.
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