UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is sending his humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths to Sudan immediately amid the “rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis” there, his office said Sunday.
“The scale and speed of what is unfolding is unprecedented in Sudan. We are extremely concerned by the immediate as well as long-term impact on all people in Sudan and the broader region,” said Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for Guterres, in a statement.
“We once again urge all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, allow safe passage for civilians fleeing areas of hostilities, respect humanitarian workers and assets, facilitate relief operations, and respect medical personnel, transport and facilities,” Dujarric added.
At least 528 people have been killed and more than 4,500 injured in fighting between two rival generals in Sudan – army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohammed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo – since April 15, according to Sudan's Health Ministry.
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A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the paramilitary force regarding the RSF’s integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.
Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.”
Sudan’s transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.