The UN Security Council Demands that Violence in Sudan Cease

After more than 16 months of fighting, the UN Security Council spoke about the humanitarian situation in Sudan on Wednesday afternoon.

“The current wave of fighting marks the latest chapter of violence in El Fasher and occurs amidst a months-long siege and attack on the city at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces,” stated UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee.

“This has caused appalling levels of suffering for the civilian population, including famine conditions in Zamzam camp south of El Fasher, among other locations,” Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee added.

When long-simmering hostilities between the military and a potent paramilitary organization, the Rapid Support Forces, broke out into widespread open conflict in April of last year, Sudan was thrown into complete chaos.

The fighting has destroyed civilian infrastructure and severely damaged the already fragile health care system, turning Khartoum, the capital, and other major locations into battlegrounds. Many hospitals and medical institutes have closed their doors because they lack the necessities.

According to the 2024 UN Humanitarian Needs Overview for South Sudan, an estimated 9 million people, or 73% of the country’s population, are projected to need humanitarian assistance during 2024. The country has experienced the shocks of civil war and climate change.