Security Council Condemns the Escalation of Fighting and Displacement in Sudan

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The International Security Council expressed its "concern" on Friday about the spread of violence against civilians in Sudan, a day after announcing that the war there has displaced more than seven million people.

In a joint statement, the Council strongly condemned the attacks against civilians and the expansion of violence into areas hosting large numbers of displaced persons, refugees, and asylum seekers.

The statement added that the members of the Security Council expressed their concern about the widespread violence and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, reflecting the countrys worsening conditions. In addition to the seven million internally displaced people, the United Nations reported on Thursday that another 1.5 million fled to neighboring countries.

Since the outbreak of fighting on April 15 between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the city of Wad Madani, located 180 kilometers south of Khartoum, has become a haven for thousands of displaced people from other areas.

However, the Security Council said that the fighting reached there as well, forcing the displaced to flee again.

UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday that, according to the International Organization for Migration, up to 300,000 people fled Wad Madani in the Jazeera state in a new wave of widespread displacement. As the battles continue for control of key locations in the city, shop owners closed their stores and fortified them, fearing looting, while women disappeared from the streets fearing sexual violence.

In this context, the Security Council called on the warring parties to allow rapid, safe, and unhindered access for humanitarian aid to all parts of Sudan.

The Council had previously condemned an attack on December 10 on a convoy of the International Committee of the Red Cross and called for "increased humanitarian assistance to Sudan."

The war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has claimed the lives of more than 12,190 people, according to estimates from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).