Othman Hassan, 48, from a southern neighborhood on the outskirts of Khartoum, said: “For four days, the electricity has been cut off and we have been living in difficult conditions. We are victims of a war to which we are not a party, and no one cares about the citizen.” According to “Reuters”.
So far, army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan (Hemedti) have shown little open willingness to negotiate more than two weeks after fighting broke out .
The two sides have announced a truce that will end on May 8, but there is no sign of its firmness.
The sudden slide towards war has caused hundreds of deaths, a humanitarian disaster and a mass exodus of refugees to neighboring countries. It also threatens to attract outside powers, further destabilizing an already unstable region.
Factories, banks and shops were looted or vandalized across Khartoum, and electricity and water supplies were cut off. Residents reported sharp price increases and commodity shortages.
empty quarters
Entire neighborhoods have been emptied of their inhabitants, who fear for their homes. Aya al-Taher said she and her family fled to the northern outskirts of the capital after bullets hit the roof of their house. According to Reuters.
She added that she plans to go home every day, even just to get more basic items, but the situation is not completely safe.
Looted hospitals
The Sudanese Medical Association’s preliminary committee says one of the country’s main maternity wards, Al Dayat Hospital in nearby Omdurman, and the central warehouse of medical supplies have been looted and occupied by the forces. THURSDAY.
He said a total of 17 hospitals have been damaged by the fighting and 20 have been forcibly evacuated since the violence began. She added that 60 out of 88 hospitals in Khartoum are out of service and many remaining hospitals are not providing their full services.
“Both warring parties show disregard for civilian lives by using inaccurate weapons in populated urban areas,” Mohamed Othman, Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a report.
Looting aid and food
The fighting erupted due to tensions between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, and both sides accused each other of violating a series of ceasefires. Neither side has made a statement regarding Friday’s fights.
The conflict has undermined an internationally-backed plan to establish democracy and civilian rule after a popular uprising in 2019 that toppled Omar al-Bashir.
The United Nations pressured both sides in the conflict to ensure the safe passage of aid after six trucks were looted.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said he hoped to hold face-to-face meetings with both sides to seek assurances regarding aid convoys.
The World Food Program has estimated that food aid worth between $13 million and $14 million intended for the needy in Sudan has been looted so far. Fighting has spread across the country, including the region of Darfur.
“A number of cold chain facilities have been looted, damaged and destroyed, including more than a million polio vaccines in South Darfur,” said Hazel de Witt, deputy director of the Programs Office of emergency of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Reuters in an email.
Thousands are fleeing
According to the United Nations, around 100,000 people have fled Sudan without adequate food and water to neighboring countries.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has called on countries to allow civilians fleeing Sudan to enter their territory. “We advise governments not to send people back to Sudan because of the conflict there, and we say it is a movement of refugees,” said Elizabeth Tan, director of international protection at UNHCR. , to journalists during a briefing in Geneva.
UNHCR said more than 56,000 people have entered Egypt through the Qast and Arqin crossings since Thursday, including at least 52,500 Sudanese, according to Egyptian Foreign Ministry figures.
On Thursday, UNHCR said it was preparing for an influx of up to 860,000 refugees and returnees from Sudan, and that it and its partners were expected to provide $445 million to support those displaced until October.
“The humanitarian situation in Sudan and its surroundings is tragic. There is a shortage of food, water and fuel, and difficult access to transport, communications and electricity, as well as a sharp rise in commodity prices,” Rauf said. Mazo, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations.
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