In a meeting in Cairo with UN Secretary-General’s envoy to Sudan Ramtane Lamamra on Wednesday, he stressed the pan-Arab body’s “firm stance backing the Sudanese people and legitimate aspirations to security, peace, and sustainable development”
With more than 400,000 people estimated to have been forced to flee the Zamzam camp alone earlier this month, Guterres is deeply concerned by reports of harassment, intimidation and arbitrary detention of displaced people at checkpoints
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has renewed his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan and urged the international community to act with urgency to help bring an end to the relentless suffering and destruction in the country.
The UN Chief “is appalled by the increasingly catastrophic situation in Sudan’s North Darfur State, as deadly attacks continue on its capital Al Fasher,” just two weeks after an assault on the famine-stricken Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps which reportedly killed hundreds of civilians, including humanitarian workers, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said on Wednesday in a statement.
With more than 400,000 people estimated to have been forced to flee the Zamzam camp alone earlier this month, Guterres is deeply concerned by reports of harassment, intimidation and arbitrary detention of displaced people at checkpoints, he added.
Despite continuing insecurity and severe funding shortfalls, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners are doing what they can to urgently scale up emergency support in the Tawila area of North Darfur, which is hosting a majority of those displaced from Zamzam, said Dujarric as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Violence against civilians also continues in other parts of Sudan, with reports of mass killings in Omdurman in Khartoum State in recent days.
With the conflict now in its third year and increasingly destabilising the broader region, the UN Chief reiterates his call for the facilitation of safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all areas of need by all necessary routes, as well as for the protection of civilians, in line with the parties’ clear obligations under international humanitarian law. Perpetrators of serious violations must be held accountable, said the Spokesman.
Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday that more humanitarian supplies are being dispatched to Tawila, where more than 300,000 people fleeing recent attacks in the Zamzam camp have sought safety.
OCHA said an inter-agency aid convoy led by the deputy humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Antoine Gerard, crossed into the Darfur region from Chad on Tuesday via the Adre border crossing, on its way to Tawila, carrying life-saving supplies, including dignity kits, nutrition and medical supplies and other essential items.
Another convoy of 19 trucks carrying nutrition supplies is expected to depart Chad for Tawila on Wednesday, the office said.
Meanwhile, Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit has called for heightened international and regional efforts to end the ongoing conflict in Sudan and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to affected areas.
In a meeting in Cairo with UN Secretary-General’s envoy to Sudan Ramtane Lamamra on Wednesday, he stressed the pan-Arab body’s “firm stance backing the Sudanese people and legitimate aspirations to security, peace, and sustainable development”.
He stressed the importance of preserving Sudan’s unity, both in terms of people and territory, safeguarding national institutions, preventing foreign interference, and launching an inclusive political process that represents all Sudanese factions.
For his part, Lamamra reviewed a UN action plan for the coming period and the challenges that impeded the diplomatic efforts. He emphasised the need for coordination between the AL and the UN to enhance the effectiveness of global initiatives aimed at resolving the crisis. The two sides also discussed the latest political and field developments in Sudan, and efforts to achieve peace and end war, the AL said in a statement.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The International Organisation for Migration estimates that the conflict has displaced more than 15 million people, both within Sudan and abroad.
Aboul Gheit emphasised the importance of supporting any initiative to find a solution for the Sudanese state, while speaking during a meeting in Cairo with a delegation of the Sudanese Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces — known as Taqaddum — led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Hamdok presented a plan for achieving a ceasefire and political process through an inclusive Sudanese dialogue to protect Sudan, save lives, and maintain progress.
He expressed gratitude to the Secretary-General for the initiative taken on March 5 calling the various Sudanese parties in the conflict and urging a truce during Ramadan. The head of the Arab League had already called on the warring parties to reach a ceasefire agreement before the holy month.
