UN Official: It is Difficult to Mediate or Resolve War in Which International Parties are Involved

Sudan Events – Agencies

The United Nations Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Toby Harward, has said that the situation in the city of El Fasher is “catastrophic,” noting that many areas in Darfur are now on the brink of famine.
He warned that any outbreak of fighting between the warring parties for control of El Fasher would have devastating repercussions on civilians residing there, announcing the restriction of their activities due to military clashes in the central parts of the country and restrictions imposed on cross-border movements from Chad.
He pointed out that the past weeks have witnessed a significant deterioration in the security situation around El Fasher, including an increase in arbitrary killings, theft and looting of livestock, the systematic burning of entire villages in rural areas, an escalation of aerial bombardment on parts of the city, and a tightening of the siege around El Fasher, which led to Stopping humanitarian aid convoys and stifling vital trade. As a result, the prices of basic commodities such as food, water and fuel have increasingly risen, putting large numbers of people at risk of hunger and disease.
According to “Voice of the Margin,” he expressed his fear that history would repeat itself 21 years after the conflict “which led to the tearing apart of the social fabric in Darfur,” calling on the world not to allow history to be repeated, stressing the need for mediators to bring the warring parties and their supporters to the negotiating table and put an end to the war as well as the necessity of stopping the suffering of civilians after about a year of war.
He added that the United Nations and its partners realize that “we must do everything in our power to expand the scope of our activities in the state”, mphasizing their commitment to re-establishing a strong humanitarian intervention in El Fasher to respond to the situation according to available resources, and to facilitate the delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid according to the needs of the population throughout the country.
Harward explained that El Fasher, the capital of Greater Darfur State and the only city in Darfur still under the control of the Sudanese army and its allies, is inhabited by about 1.5 million people, including 800,000 displaced people from the five states of Darfur during the previous Darfur war in the period 2003-2005 and during the last war since April 2023. He added that the outbreak of fighting between the parties would lead to casualties from all societies in Darfur – Arab and African.
The UN official considered that the failure of the war parties to listen to calls to stop the escalation is because the conflict has become increasingly international with the participation of other countries and support for one side or the other, which leads to the conflict becoming more complex and difficult to mediate or resolve a war in which many international actors are involved, and he stressed “It is necessary for mediators to bring the warring parties and their supporters to the negotiating table and put an end to the war”.