Guterres: The truce must lead to the permanent silencing of weapons in Sudan (Reuters)
On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a ceasefire in Sudan during the month of Ramadan, at a time when the crisis there is worsening in light of the ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.
Guterres said - during a meeting of the UN Security Council - “In a few days, the month of Ramadan begins, so today I make an appeal from this hall. I call on all parties in Sudan to respect the values of Ramadan by stopping hostilities on the occasion of the month of Ramadan.”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations added: “This cessation of hostilities must lead to a final cessation of fighting throughout the country, and chart a specific path towards lasting peace for the Sudanese people.”
Guterres stressed that "the humanitarian crisis in Sudan is taking on enormous proportions, and half of the population needs humanitarian assistance to survive and about 18 million people suffer from acute food insecurity," warning that water supply and sanitation systems are collapsing.
Diseases are spreading.
Guterres criticized "indiscriminate attacks" against civilians, saying, "We continue to witness widespread looting, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, recruitment and detention of children," in addition to his alarm after reports of "acts of sexual violence" linked to the conflict.
A draft UN resolution
For his part, British Deputy Ambassador James Kariuki announced the proposal of a draft resolution to the Security Council calling for an “immediate ceasefire” before the month of Ramadan and calling on the parties to allow humanitarian aid to arrive without hindrance, saying that he hopes to vote on the draft tomorrow, Friday.
Earlier, Reuters quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the Security Council is discussing a draft resolution drafted by Britain calling for an immediate cessation of fighting in Sudan during the month of Ramadan.
Since last April 15, battles have continued between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti,” leaving more than 13,000 dead and about 26,000 injured, in addition to the flight of about 7.6 million, according to the United Nations, where 6.1 million were displaced. Millions of people within the country, while about 1.5 million people crossed into neighboring countries.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies