The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday condemned the ongoing fighting in Sudan between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reported Reuters.
In a statement issued after a meeting in Sudan on Friday, the UNSC urged the Sudanese warring factions to immediately cease hostilities and facilitate safe and unimpeded humanitarian access across the country, in line with international law and UN principles.
The UN estimates that at least 730 people have been killed and 5,500 injured since the war broke out last month. The actual toll could be much higher. About 1.2 million people are expected to have been displaced within Sudan and more than 425,000 have fled abroad.
Earlier this week, the Sudanese warring sides agreed to extend a truce that was set to expire early next week, extending it for five days to enable the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
But talks between the army and the paramilitary force in the Saudi port city of Jeddah were suspended on Wednesday after army representatives withdrew from the negotiations, accusing the RSF of violating ceasefire deals.
In the statement, the UN Security Council called for the resumption of the process toward reaching a lasting, inclusive, and democratic political settlement in Sudan. It also reaffirmed the council’s support of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan, or UNITAMS, and urged its continued engagement in Sudan.
The 15 members UNSC unanimously agreed to extend the mandate of the UNITAMS for six months, until December 3, 2023. The UN mission was created in June 2020 to support Sudan’s democratic transition after the fall of the Omar al-Bashir government.
In related news, Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has accused Dr. Volker Perthes, the Special Representative for Sudan UNITAMS, of stoking the brutal conflict. The army chief also asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to name a replacement for Perthes.
