Volker Perthes – The Secretary-General’s Special Representative to Sudan and Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission to the country (UNIT) – emphasizing that rival military leaders agreed to respect international humanitarian and human rights law, and to withdraw fighters from hospitals and medical facilities.
Mr. Perthes also noted that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have committed to continue negotiations in the Saudi city of Jeddah over a potential ceasefire.
In a statement released by his Spokesperson, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, welcomed the Declaration of Commitment to Protecting Civilians and ensuring the safe passage of humanitarian aid:
“While humanitarian workers, most notably local partners, continue to work under very difficult circumstances, the Secretary-General hopes this Declaration will ensure that relief work maybe scale quickly and securely to meet the needs of millions of people in Sudan“, It says.
“He reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire and extended discussions to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities.”
Hoping to continue the ceasefire negotiations
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, via Zoom from Port Sudan, where the United Nations and its partners have established a coastal humanitarian center, Mr. Perthes said that based on this first signed joint statement , The aim is to achieve a ceasefire that would also be “generally agreed”, as opposed to previously announced unilateral ceasefires..
His hope is “in the next few days”, discussions in Jeddah under the auspices of Saudi and US mediators would lead to such an agreement, giving it “more stability and more respect”, and with clear provisions on methods regarding the movement of troops and humanitarian pauses.
Commitments must be respected
Mr. Perthes also expressed hope that the parties will “do what they can” to convey down to the commanding level that humanitarian commitments have been agreed at Jeddah. must be honored.
The agreement is welcome by a “tripartite mechanism” comprising the United Nations, the African Union and the regional body known as the Intergovernmental Agency for Development in East Africa (IGAD).
More than 200,000 ran away
Meanwhile, the number of people fleeing Sudan has over 200,000UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.
ONE Race against time is underway to give the fugitives relief aid before the coming stormy season makes logistics even more difficult. Funding shortages are complicating humanitarian challenges, as UNHCRIts operations in neighboring countries were only funded about 15 percent before the conflict.
Salvation for malnourished children is destroyed
In another example of conflict’s devastating impact on the most vulnerable people in Sudan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday that a fire ravaged a factory in Khartoum that produces ready-to-use food to treat children. severe acute malnutrition.
According to UNICEF, the Food equivalent to about 14,500 children was destroyed in the fire, along with the machinery, affects future production. Organ speak that Sudan has one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in the world, with more than three million children are acutely malnourished.
UNICEF spokesman James Elder said that in response to the crisis as a whole, about 34,000 boxes of ready-to-use medical food had been shipped from France to Sudan.
He said the cause of the factory fire was still unknown.
As conflict escalates in Sudan, refugees arrive in the Chadian village of Koufroun, which lies on the Chad-Sudan border.
Warriors warn of consequences: Perthes
In an Arabic-language interview conducted by the United Nations in Geneva with UNITAMS head Volker Perthes on Friday, he said there were warning signs before the outbreak of hostilities on April 15, about a potential conflict between rival armies.
“We have warned both sides about this possibility and this scenario,” he said, and that if they start fighting, “the country and society will be destroyed.”
He said both sides probably thought the fighting would be short-lived, but now realize that victory “wasn’t easy” and would ultimately be at the expense of “a large portion of the population.” country”.
Distribution of lifesaving relief
Asked about how more humanitarian aid could be allocated to millions of people in need across Sudan, Perthes said the Jeddah deal was promising, but access to the capital, Khartoum, was very difficult. important and would not be possible without secure humanitarian corridors.
“Therefore, we hope that yesterday’s agreement will really help applied on the ground through humanitarian agencies, the United Nations and their NGO partners.”
As for the speed of delivery, he said looting, which spread across Sudan at the start of hostilities, was a major obstacle to the operation.
“The warehouse and the car were looted and Trucks transporting aid from the east of the country or from the center to Darfur were also looted…when your office and car are looted, it’s hard to help.
“Today, there are new arrangements, even in the preparation of the delivery of Darfur through Chad, which require coordination with neighboring countries, with the State, with armed movements in Darfur and other countries. another subject”.
