The UN says the humanitarian situation in Sudan is deteriorating as hostilities between warring factions in the country continue, despite the extension of the ceasefire agreement.
Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured in the 16 days of fighting since conflict erupted between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 15.
In Khartoum, army units are fighting RSF forces entrenched in residential areas.
During the fighting, the more maneuverable RSF forces have scattered around the city, and a better equipped army is trying to strike them from the air, including using drones.
During the crisis, entire neighborhoods of the capital Khartoum were destroyed and there was a risk of interference in the fighting by regional forces; the conflict in Darfur has erupted again.
Negotiations at this time seem unlikely. Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said he would never sit down at the negotiating table with RSF chief General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who said on Monday that he was going to either bring Burhan to justice or send him “to the cemetery”.
On Sunday, the two sides agreed to a 72-hour extension of a frequently broken truce, and the UN told Reuters truce talks could take place in Saudi Arabia, but Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes and shelling Artillery continued Monday in Khartoum and neighboring towns.
At least 528 people died and 4,599 were injured, Sudan’s health ministry said. The UN estimates that the actual number of victims is much higher.
Martin Griffiths, Senior Humanitarian and Relief Officer of the United Nations, expressed concern about the consequences of the war for Sudan and the wider region.
“The scale and speed of developments in Sudan are unprecedented,” he said.
World Food Program official Cindy McCain said in areas of Sudan that have been largely spared conflict, the organization’s activities are resuming.
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