The United Nations warns of a comprehensive civil war in Sudan
Following the airstrike in Omdurman, which resulted in at least 22 deaths and dozens of injuries, the United Nations warned that Sudan is “on the brink of a comprehensive civil war” that could destabilize the entire region.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced that “the ongoing war between armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a comprehensive civil war that could destabilize the entire region,” according to his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq in a statement. Guterres condemned the “airstrike in Omdurman, Sudan, which resulted in at least 22 deaths, according to reports.”
According to the spokesperson’s statement, Guterres expressed his concern about reports of renewed fighting in the states of North Kordofan, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile, condemning the “blatant disregard for humanitarian law and human rights law.” He reiterated his call for a cessation of hostilities and a “sustained commitment to cease all acts of aggression.”
The Sudanese Ministry of Health had previously stated in a statement on Saturday that “an airstrike in Omdurman on Saturday morning resulted in the death of 22 civilians and caused a large number of injuries” in the Dar Es Salam Amiriya area of Omdurman.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused the army of carrying out the airstrike, stating that it resulted in at least 31 deaths. Residents of Dar Es Salam Amiriya confirmed on Sunday to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that what they witnessed was “an airstrike that killed 22 people, including children.”
For its part, the armed forces denied in a statement on Sunday any involvement of the air force in any hostile targets in Omdurman. The army also accused the Rapid Support Forces of “shelling residential areas with artillery and rockets, coinciding with our aircraft flying to falsely and slanderously accuse the armed forces of targeting civilians.”
Sudan has been witnessing battles between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemeti, since April 15th. The conflict has resulted in more than 2,800 deaths and the displacement of over 2.8 million people, with over 600,000 seeking refuge in neighboring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), particularly in Egypt to the north and Chad to the west.
The battles are concentrated in the capital Khartoum and its surrounding areas, as well as in the Darfur region, where the United Nations has warned that the situation could amount to “crimes against humanity,” with the conflict taking on increasingly ethnic dimensions.
