Alarmed by Full-Scale Assault on El Fasher, Secretary-General Urges Ceasefire in Sudan

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General is gravely alarmed by reports of a full-scale assault on El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He calls on Lt. General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo to act responsibly and immediately order a halt to the RSF attack.  It is unconscionable that the warring parties have repeatedly ignored calls for a cessation of hostilities.  Any further escalation will also threaten to spread the conflict along intercommunal lines throughout Darfur.

The Secretary-General underscores that a ceasefire is not only necessary, but is an urgent imperative, both in El Fasher and across all other conflict zones in Sudan.  The humanitarian situation in this area is already catastrophic, with hundreds of thousands of people in acute need. The parties to the conflict have clear obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, and attacks must not be directed against them or civilian infrastructure and constant care must be taken to spare them.

The Secretary-General recalls that his Special Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, continues his efforts to advance peace.  He stands ready to support genuine efforts to halt this violence and move towards peace.  Humanitarian organizations also stand ready to rapidly scale up assistance in El Fasher and other areas of need across Sudan.