Tensions in northern Sudan: UN calls for restraint

Hibapress

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on parties to the conflict in northwestern Sudan to exercise restraint and avoid any escalation.

In a note to correspondents sent by his spokesperson, the UN chief refers to “increasingly alarming reports of a dramatic escalation of tensions” in El Fasher, in North Darfur, noting that an attack on the city “would have devastating consequences for the civilian population.”

“This escalation of tensions is occurring in a region already on the brink of famine,” he said, reiterating his call for all parties to refrain from any fighting in this part of the country.

In a press conference on the occasion of the first anniversary of the conflict in Sudan held in early April, Guterres stressed that the El Fasher region is a United Nations humanitarian platform “which ensures that vital aid is distributed in the five states of Darfur according to needs”.

For its part, the UN Human Rights Office said Friday that clashes between the Sudanese army and paramilitaries have killed at least 43 civilians in this region since April 14.

“High Commissioner Volker Türk is gravely concerned by the escalation of violence in and around the town of El Fasher, North Darfur, where dozens of people have been killed over the past two weeks, following the “Intensification of hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces,” Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said at a press briefing.