The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, strongly condemned this Saturday the clashes between the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Armed Forces in Sudan and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
“The General Secretary asks the RSF leaders [na sigla em inglês] and the Sudanese Armed Forces to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm and start a dialogue to resolve the current crisis,” the secretary-general’s spokesman said in a statement.
Guterres also stressed that any “new escalation in fighting will have a devastating impact on civilians and further aggravate the already precarious humanitarian situation in the country.”
“The Secretary General collaborates with the leaders of the region and reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to support the people of Sudan in their efforts to restore a democratic transition and realize their aspirations to build a peaceful and secure future,” the text details. .
For his part, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan and head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, announced today that he has contacted both parties to ask them the immediate cessation of fighting. to ensure the safety of the Sudanese people and prevent further violence.
The RSF said today it will not lay down its arms until the army surrenders, while the armed forces described the Sudanese paramilitary group as a “rebel militia”.
The chaos unleashed mainly in Khartoum and other cities by the clashes left at least three civilians dead and dozens wounded, according to the Sudanese Doctors Union.
The Sudanese Air Force began bombing positions of the paramilitary group today in an attempt to repel the aggression, after RSF accused the Sudanese Army of attacking one of its headquarters.
RSF indicated that it had taken control of the Presidential Palace, as well as Khartoum International Airport, the largest in Sudan, a claim that the Armed Forces denied.
These clashes occur two days after the Army warned of a “dangerous situation” in the country that could lead to an armed conflict, following the mobilization of RSF in the Sudanese capital and in other cities without the consent or coordination of the Armed Forces.
This mobilization occurred during the negotiations to reach a definitive political agreement that would put an end to the 2021 coup and lead Sudan to a democratic transition, a pact whose signing was postponed twice this month precisely due to tensions and rivalries between the Army and the RSFs. .
Source: TSF
