Two years after Sudan's brutal war erupted between rival generals who rejected a peaceful transition to civilian rule following the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir, the Secretary General insisted that the world “must not forget” the suffering of the Sudanese population.
“I am deeply concerned that weapons and fighters continue to enter Sudan, which allows conflict to persist and spread throughout the country,” declared Antonio Guterres.
In the middle of the spiral of violence and the massacre of civilians, linked to the advance of opposition forces in Sudan's Darfur region over the weekend, Guterres called for an end to foreign interference in Sudan.
This could lead to a regional division, between areas controlled by the government and the opposition, he warned.
“External support and the flow of arms must end. Those with the greatest influence over the parties must use it to improve the lives of the people in Sudan, not to perpetuate this disaster,” Guterres emphasized.
Tens of millions of people need help
Behind this second anniversary lies the the world's largest displacement crisis, and the worst humanitarian crisis, according to UN agencies.
The capital, Khartoum, has had its basic infrastructure devastated by the fighting, and aid teams have warned that more is needed. urgent aid to support the three million people who are expected to return there.
"The situation in Khartoum is extremely serious, especially in the areas where the conflict has been most intense," said Luca Renda, representative in Sudan of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), following the recent reconquest of the city by the Sudanese armed forces.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva after participating in an assessment mission to the capital, Renda reported that he had seen “a massive destruction of infrastructure, without access to water, without electricity and, of course, a lot of contamination from unexploded ordnance.”
80.000 people have fled the Zamzam camp
The massacre, attributed to the opposition Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its affiliates in the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps in Darfur, claimed the lives of 400 civilians and ten medical workers from the NGO. Relief International.
According to International Organization for Migration (OIM), some 80.000 people have already fled Zamzam, but This figure could reach 400.000.
Male residents were the “primary target” and have fled to the regional capital, El Fasher, which remains under Sudanese army control despite continued assaults by the Rapid Support Forces.
Systematic use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war
From Port Sudan, IOM's head of mission in the country, Mohamed Refaat, reported that women survivors of sexual violence told him how they were attacked "in front of their wounded husbands, in front of their screaming children."
Added to this is a 288% increase in demand for life-saving help after rape or an act of sexual violence, according to Anna Mutavati, regional director for East and Southern Africa at UN Women.
“We have also seen what is beginning to look like a systematic use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. We have seen how the lives of women and Women's bodies become battlefields in this conflict,” Mutavati added.