The UN Secretary-General has renewed an urgent call for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, warning of 'unimaginable' civilian suffering. Prime Minister Kamil Idris proposed a UN-monitored ceasefire and RSF disarmament, but the RSF rejected the plan. The fighting, which began in April 2023, has displaced 9.6 million people internally and forced 4.3 million to flee abroad, with 30.4 million requiring aid. Recent escalations include the RSF capture of Heglig, attacks in North Darfur that threaten escape corridors into Chad, and a deadly cross-border drone strike.
UN Intensifies Ceasefire Call As Sudan’s War Inflicts ‘Unimaginable’ Civilian Suffering
A displaced Sudanese girl in Gadarif, eastern Sudan [AFP]
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has renewed an urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan's civil war, describing the suffering of civilians as 'unimaginable' and warning that the humanitarian crisis is worsening rapidly.
Latest Developments
The appeal follows a peace proposal presented to the UN Security Council by Sudan's Prime Minister Kamil Idris, who urged the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to disarm under a UN-monitored ceasefire. The RSF dismissed the plan as 'wishful thinking.' An adviser to RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo called the proposal 'closer to fantasy than to politics.'
The conflict began in April 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the RSF. According to UN figures, the fighting has internally displaced 9.6 million people and forced 4.3 million to flee to neighboring countries, while 30.4 million Sudanese now need humanitarian assistance.
UN Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari told the Security Council: 'Each passing day brings staggering levels of violence and destruction. Civilians are enduring immense, unimaginable suffering, with no end in sight.'
Regional Escalation
In recent weeks the conflict shifted to central Kordofan, where the RSF seized the strategic Heglig oilfield on December 8. That move prompted South Sudanese forces to cross into Sudan to protect the facility, a development the UN warned highlights the conflict's growing regional dimensions.
The RSF has also launched a push to consolidate control over North Darfur, attacking towns in the Dar Zaghawa area near the Chad border since December 24. This offensive threatens to seal the last escape corridor for civilians seeking refuge in Chad.
Cross-border violence increased when a drone strike killed two Chadian soldiers at a military camp in the border town of Tine. A Chadian military intelligence officer told Reuters the drone came from Sudan, but it remained unclear whether it was launched by the Sudanese army or the RSF. Chad has placed its air force on high alert and warned it would 'exercise our right to retaliate' if the strike is confirmed as deliberate.
Humanitarian Access And Investigations
Despite intense fighting, the UN reported a rare breakthrough: its first assessment mission to el-Fasher since the city fell to the RSF. UN Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown said the mission followed 'months of intense fighting, siege, and widespread violations against civilians and humanitarian workers,' and that hundreds of thousands had fled el-Fasher and surrounding areas.
Earlier this month, a Yale University report documented systematic mass killings by the RSF in el-Fasher, supported by satellite imagery showing large-scale burning and evidence consistent with mass graves.
US Senator Marco Rubio described the fighting as 'horrifying' and 'atrocious' and warned that 'one day the story of what's actually happened there is going to be known, and everyone involved is going to look bad.' Rubio said he wanted the war to end quickly, though there were no clear signs of immediate progress.
Prime Minister Idris, upon returning to Port Sudan, signaled a red line by saying his government would reject international peacekeeping forces, arguing Sudan had been 'burned' by past interventions. The impasse between the government, the RSF, and regional actors leaves prospects for a negotiated settlement uncertain while civilian suffering mounts.
