Nearly 1,000 people have been killed since the start of the war more than a month ago, mostly in and around Khartoum as well as in the long-turbulent western region of Darfur.
Hundreds of demonstrators supporting the Sudanese army gathered in front of the hotel where UN envoy Volker Perthes is staying in Khartoum, to demand that he leave the country.
The political secretary of the Beja Tribes Council, Syed Ali Abu Amna, said during the demonstration: “We call on Volcker to leave, and for the UN mission to change his position.”
He added, “This man is responsible for the ongoing war in Sudan, because his practices helped divide the people of the same country.”
About 1,000 people have been killed since the start of the war more than a month ago, most of them in and around Khartoum, as well as in the long-turbulent western region of Darfur.
The battles between the army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, caused the displacement of more than a million others.
Humanitarian aid
On Wednesday, the United Nations estimated the number of people in need of humanitarian aid in Sudan at about 25 million, and at about $3.03 billion the volume of emergency aid necessary for the country and those fleeing the war to neighboring countries, whose number is expected to exceed one million this year.
“Today, 25 million people – more than half of the population of Sudan – need humanitarian assistance and protection,” Ramesh Rajasingham, Director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva, told reporters, explaining that this number is “the largest number” of people in need of humanitarian aid recorded by the UN agency in this regard. country at all.
And the United Nations stated that it expects to need 2.56 billion dollars to provide aid inside Sudanese territory, compared to 1.75 billion dollars, according to estimates at the end of last year.
The money will allow relief agencies to reach the 18 million most vulnerable people in the country, according to Rajasingham.
On Wednesday, the neighborhoods of Khartoum seemed desolate, and columns of smoke rose from the battles.
For the first time, the official Sudanese agency published footage showing General Al-Burhan surrounded by soldiers as he inspected a charred building of the Army General Command in Khartoum.
The UN official also alerted to “disturbing reports of an increase in sexual violence,” warning that “children are particularly vulnerable in this unfolding chaos.”
The fighting has deepened the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, where even before the war, one in three people depended on humanitarian assistance.
flee from Sudan
Rajasingham expressed his regret that humanitarian workers were subjected to several attacks, including those killed, while offices and stocks were looted.
He expressed his hope that the warring parties would abide by the humanitarian rules they reached last week regarding evacuating civilians from combat zones and providing safe passages for the transport of humanitarian aid.
He pointed out that the fighters withdrew from some health facilities that were previously occupied, indicating an increase in aid deliveries, but he stressed, however, that “more is needed.”
He continued, “The crisis in Sudan is rapidly turning into a regional crisis.”
At the same time, the UN agency indicated that it needed an additional $470.4 million to help people who fled the country, adding that it is currently preparing to secure the needs of up to 1.1 million people who are expected to flee Sudan during the current year alone.
Just two weeks ago, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it would need $445 million through October to meet the needs of up to 860,000 people who may flee the country.
“So far, the crisis that began just a month ago has led to a massive influx into neighboring countries of some 220,000 refugees and returnees seeking safety in Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Central African Republic and Ethiopia,” Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Rauf Mazou told reporters.
Diplomatic efforts in all directions
In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the two Sudanese sides are still holding talks about a “humanitarian” ceasefire to allow civilians out and aid to enter.
“The need for humanitarian workers to be given access and given the resources and security guarantees to provide effective support to those who depend on them,” said Michael Dunford, WFP’s Regional Director for East Africa.
Also in the Saudi city, which is hosting an Arab summit on Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan discussed with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit the issue of the conflict in Sudan.
The three of them expressed their support for a cease-fire, but without proposing any broad lines for it, while the Arab countries are deeply divided over Sudan, as Daglo is a great ally of the Emirates, while Egypt throws its weight behind Al-Burhan, while Saudi Arabia seeks to mediate negotiations between the two generals.
Doctors Without Borders announced that “armed men entered its warehouse in Khartoum on Tuesday and looted” at least “two cars full of foodstuffs.”
On Wednesday, Kenya’s President William Ruto called on the two generals to “stop this absurdity.”
Diplomatic efforts are increasing in all directions – and they are clearly parallel – in light of the fact that no one has yet succeeded in forcing the two generals to stop the fighting, amid fears in Sudan’s neighboring countries of the contagion of the conflict.
