30 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, has announced the dispatch to the region of its head of Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, “given the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian crisis” in which Sudan is plunged, aggravated by clashes between the Army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The Secretary General will immediately send the Emergency Relief Coordinator and United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, to the region,” Guterrres spokesman Stéphane Dujarric explained in an official statement.
Guterres has also warned that “what is happening in Sudan, its scale and speed, has no precedent.” “We are extremely concerned about the immediate and long-term impact on the people of Sudan and the entire region,” he warned.
“We again call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, allow safe transit of civilians fleeing conflict zones, respect humanitarian personnel and assets, facilitate relief operations and respect personnel, transport and sanitary facilities”, concluded Dujarric.
United Nations agencies and other NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders have been denouncing looting of their facilities throughout the country for days and their operations have been reduced to a minimum amid the prevailing violence. Both sides, in this regard, have occasionally attempted to cooperate to establish humanitarian corridors, although these efforts have been unsuccessful.
This same Sunday, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF have announced their intention to extend the ceasefire agreed between the two parties for another 72 hours, which expired at midnight on Sunday.
