The civil war in Sudan has reached a breaking point, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Tuesday, calling the conflict “one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century.” His comments came after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, RSF, seized control of El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still held by the army after an 18-month siege marked by mass killings and starvation.
“The Situation Is Spiralling Out of Control”
Speaking during the World Summit for Social Development in Qatar, Guterres said, “El Fasher and the surrounding areas have become epicentres of suffering, hunger, violence and displacement. Hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped by this siege. People are dying of malnutrition, disease and violence.” Guterres called on both the SAF and RSF to “come to the negotiating table and end this nightmare now.”
The appeal comes in the wake of reports of atrocities in El Fasher, where fighters from the RSF allegedly killed hundreds of civilians, including patients and staff inside a maternity hospital. Satellite images, survivor accounts, and online videos expose the widespread destruction and possible war crimes. The International Criminal Court has confirmed it is gathering evidence of mass executions, rape, and ethnically targeted attacks.
Darfur on the Brink of Collapse
The fall of El Fasher gives the RSF control over all five Darfur state capitals, raising fears that Sudan effectively be divided along an east-west line. The humanitarian toll is catastrophic: more than 150,000 people are dead and 14 million displaced since the war began in April 2023. Aid groups say at least two regions are already suffering famine.
A Fragile Push for Peace
Backed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, the United States has come up with a peace plan that would start with a three-month humanitarian pause and move toward civilian rule. But divisions persist within the SAF, which wants the RSF to leave major cities before any cease-fire. Washington hopes growing global attention will press both sides to compromise, but the initial signs show strong resistance from Sudan’s military leadership.
UN Calls for Global Action and Arms Ban
Guterres called on countries to stop sending weapons to the two warring factions: “No more arms should enter Sudan”. Sudan’s ambassador to the UK, Babikir Elamin, called on the US to designate the RSF as a terrorist group and to impose sanctions on countries supplying it with weapons. The UAE has denied accusations that it is arming the RSF.
A Nation Abandoned With famine spreading, hospitals destroyed, and civilians trapped, there is no end in sight to Sudan’s war. “The world cannot look away,” Guterres said. “Sudan is bleeding, and its people are being abandoned.” https://civiclens.in/category/international-news/
FOR MORE : https://apnews.com/article/sudan-fasher-rsf-war-un-279868664dabe63d88ccf4a506eb1499
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