UN official urges Security Council to act to halt Sudan fighting

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee on Thursday called on the Security Council to take action to stop the relentless fighting in Sudan.

"As the conflict reaches yet another critical point, we must intensify our call for an urgent and lasting solution. Reports and warnings about the unfolding catastrophe in El Fasher have been issued for months," she told the council in a briefing on the situation in Sudan.

"We must all play our part in helping to bring this devastating war to an end. We must stand with the people of Sudan who have suffered far too much for far too long," she said.

Pobee called on the Council to use all the tools at its disposal to demand peace in Sudan. "We count on the council to lead the way."

She said the conflict in Sudan has deteriorated even further and has caused widespread suffering, with new surges of horrific violence.

After more than 500 days under siege, El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur state, has been captured by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Only small pockets of resistance remain, she said.

Other parts of the country have not been spared from the relentless violence. In recent weeks, fighting has intensified in the Kordofan region, likely the next arena of military focus for the warring parties, she warned.

The city of Bara in North Kordofan, a strategic location for both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, was captured by the RSF last week. This marked another escalation on the ground, she said.

Drone strikes by both sides are impacting new territories and targets. These include Blue Nile, Khartoum, Sennar, South Kordofan and West Darfur, suggesting that the territorial scope of the conflict is broadening, she added.

Shifting military dynamics continue to shape the course of the conflict. The human cost is profound, Pobee said, adding that the risk of mass atrocities, ethnically targeted violence and further violations of international humanitarian law, including sexual violence, remains alarmingly high across the country, and particularly in El Fasher, she warned.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has once again called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan.

"The parties must return to the negotiating table, in good faith," said Pobee. "They must pursue a sustainable resolution to the conflict. An immediate end to the fighting and sustained dialogue are needed to reverse Sudan's spiraling descent into de facto fragmentation." ■