Sudan capital city Khartoum downtown view at night

By  Gary  Raynaldo   –  DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED  NATIONS  –  NEW   YORK –   UN Secretary General António Guterres Monday called for an “immediate” ceasefire to the conflict in Northeast African nation Sudan that has seen nearly 200 people killed.  Rival armed forces were locked in a deadly battle for control of Sudan on Monday, with many civilians casualties reported.  About 180 people have been killed and 1,800 injured,  UN facilities have been looted and destroyed, and some non-essential staff will have to be evacuated, said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, Volker Perthes, speaking to reporters early Monday afternoon at UN Headquarters via video from Khartoum. Following the deaths of three employees of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in the restive Darfur region amid widespread fighting,  the UN Secretary-General called for those responsible to be brought to justice without delay

“I strongly condemn the outbreak of fighting that is taking place in Sudan and appeal to the leaders of the Rapid Support Forces (RAF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm, and begin a dialogue to resolve the crisis,”

-UN Secretary-General António Guterres

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday afternoon that “hostilities will only hamper our humanitarian response efforts at a time when needs are at an all-time high in Sudan.”

“We currently have no access into or out of the country, with the borders and airport remaining closed,”   Dujarric said, stressing that the UN has been forced to temporarily halt much of its operations due to the fighting. 

The crisis began with armed clashes on Saturday, between forces from the SAF, loyal to the head of the military government, and those of his deputy. who leads the paramilitary RAF.  Skirmishes led to widespread fighting between RSF and SAF forces across the capital Khartoum and surrounding areas.