Following an outbreak of armed fighting in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Saturday, the head of the UN Mission in the country has issued a statement strongly condemning the violence, and other senior officials are voicing concern.
The statement was released on Saturday by Volker Perthes, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan and Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).
Mr. Perthes was responding to the outbreak of armed clashes between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in many parts of the capital Khartoum and other areas outside the capital, on Saturday morning.
According to media reports, the RSF claimed that it had taken control of Khartoum international airport, Merowe airport, al-Obeid airport and the presidential palace.
The RSF, an independent Sudanese military force, grew out of the Janjaweed militia, formerly active in the Darfur region of the country. The organization has been involved in talks aimed at a transition from the current military rule, which has existed since a coup in 2021, to a civilian government.
The integration of the RSF into the armed forces has been one of the issues under discussion, as part of UN-backed political agreement reached in February, following months of negotiations.
However, in a Security Council briefing on 20 March, Mr. Perthes warned of rising tensions between the Sudanese Army and the RSF in recent weeks, and called for de-escalation.
In his statement, Mr. Perthes reached out to both parties asking them for an immediate cessation of fighting, to ensure the safety of the Sudanese people and to spare the country from further violence.
‘More violence will only make things worse’
Concern over the fighting was raised on Saturday by Martin Griffiths, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.
In a Tweet, Mr. Griffiths said that more violence would only makes things worse for the nearly 16 million people, around a third of the population, in need of humanitarian aid.
In an update on the humanitarian situation in Sudan, released on 13 April, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), noted that humanitarian needs across Sudan are at an all-time high, with conflict one of the four most significant risks, alongside natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and economic deterioration.
Volker Türk, the UN rights chief, added his concerns on Saturday, expressing alarm at the unfolding situation, Tweeting that the people of Sudan “deserve better.” Mr. Türk wrote that a “voice of reason” is urgently needed, in order to stop violence and “revert to earlier promising path towards peace and civilian transition.”
