United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that Sudan is on the verge of civil war after a weekend bombing killed dozens in a city near Khartoum.
A U.N. official said in a written statement. The secretary general's spokeswoman voiced concern that the prolonged battle between conflicting armed groups had "pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilizing the entire region."
“He is appalled by reports of large-scale violence and casualties across Darfur,” the statement further said. “He is also concerned about reports of renewed fighting in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile States.”
Sudan's army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), is at odds with the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The power battle sets the commander of the armed forces, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, against the head of the RSF, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. In October 2021, the erstwhile allies organized a military coup that deposed a Western-backed civilian transitional government.
Since April 15, the two groups have been fighting for control of Khartoum due to disagreements about the RSF's incorporation into the armed forces and the future line of command. The RSF holds much of the city, as well as the Nile River cities of Omdurman and Bahri, and the SAF has launched artillery and air operations to expel the paramilitary forces.
Hundreds of people have been murdered and many have been injured since then, but the July 8 hit on Omdurman's residential neighborhood may have been the bloodiest yet, killing at least 22 and wounding scores.
The RSF blamed the incident on the SAF in a tweet, calling the army a "extremist terrorist militia."
"This act represents a grave crime against humanity, as well as a clear violation of our religious values, cultural norms, and international conventions," stated the RSF, which put the death toll at 31.
“We urge all relevant parties, both domestically and internationally, to fulfill their responsibilities by actively monitoring and documenting the ongoing genocidal acts committed by the coup forces and remnants of the former regime against civilians, following their failed attempts to seize power.”
On Sunday, the SAF reacted to the RSF's allegations.
"The armed forces would like to clarify that it did not carry out an air strike on Saturday on any enemy targets in Omdurman," the Office of the Spokesperson of the Armed Forces stated in a Facebook statement, disputing the RSF's assertion. "We have repeatedly stated that the militia resorts to shelling residential areas with artillery and rockets while armed forces planes are flying in an attempt to falsely accuse the armed forces of targeting civilians."
The US administration has previously said that it thinks Russia's Wagner Group formerly supplied the RSF with surface-to-air missiles.
According to residents who talked with The Associated Press, violence has raged between rival factions in Omdurman, making it impossible to tell which side was responsible for the attack. Military planes have routinely attacked RSF forces in the region, while the paramilitary group has countered the military with drones and anti-aircraft weaponry.
“The area is like a hell … fighting around the clock and people are not able to leave,” Abdel-Rahman, one of the residents who asked to use only his first name out of concern for his safety, said.
According to the International Organization for Migration, the violence has already internally displaced more than 2.2 million individuals (almost 450,000 families). Furthermore, almost 700,000 people have fled the country, many of them without passports, to neighboring nations, particularly Egypt, Chad, and South Sudan.
Many conflict-affected regions are currently inaccessible to UN personnel. Teams are formed.
Mr. Guterres condemned the country's "complete disregard for humanitarian and human rights law," before encouraging the warring groups to agree to a "durable cessation" of hostilities—or, at the very least, to protect civilians and allow humanitarian operations to take place.
“The United Nations continues to push for the cohesion of international efforts under the auspices of the African Union coordination architecture and welcomes the strong engagement of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),” the statement concluded.
Mr. Guterres offered his condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
