UN chief warns of unprecedented death and destruction in Sudan, urges international support
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Sudan is spiralling into an alarming state of death and destruction at an unprecedented pace, warned UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday. He called on donors to intervene and mitigate the unfolding catastrophe.
Speaking at a pledging conference, Guterres emphasised the urgent need for strong international support to prevent Sudan from becoming a breeding ground for lawlessness, which could further destabilise the region. It is being jointly organised by the UN's humanitarian and refugee agencies, Egypt, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the African Union, and the European Union.
The United Nations has issued two appeals to address the crisis—one for humanitarian response within Sudan and another for refugee response outside its borders. These appeals require a total of $3 billion for the year, but the funding received so far is less than 17 percent of the target.
"The situation in Darfur and Khartoum is catastrophic. Fighting is raging with people attacked in their homes and on the street. In little more than two months, two million people have been forced from their homes, seeking refuge in safer parts of Sudan or across borders. Close to half a million people have already crossed borders into neighbouring countries. Before this conflict erupted, Sudan was already grappling with a humanitarian crisis. This has now escalated into a catastrophe affecting more than half the country's people. It is crucial to prevent the situation from deteriorating even further," he said.
Guterres underscored that the only viable resolution to the crisis is through the restoration of peace and civilian rule, accomplished via a transition to democracy.
The crisis in Sudan has been marked by clashes between the Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and paramilitary forces under the command of his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. The power struggle between the two factions has exacerbated the situation, leading to a rapid escalation of violence and suffering. The current clashes started on April 15.
Throughout the war in Sudan, multiple truces have been agreed upon and subsequently broken, resulting in the loss of more than 2,000 lives and the displacement of two million people. At least 528,000 people have sought refuge abroad.
While funds poured into UN appeals for Ukraine shortly after Russia's invasion in February last year, the international response to the crisis in Sudan has been comparatively sluggish, despite the situation persisting for over two months. The pledging event was organised to highlight the situation.
