The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated on Monday that conditions are not conducive for deploying a UN peacekeeping force in Sudan, despite growing local and international calls to protect civilians there. In his report to the UN Security Council, Guterres said that the Sudanese people are trapped in a nightmare of violence, hunger, disease, displacement, and escalating ethnic conflict, warning of the regional destabilization risks.
Guterres added that suffering in Sudan is worsening daily, with 25 million people in urgent need of aid. “The Sudanese people are living a nightmare of violence; thousands of civilians have been killed, and countless others face indescribable atrocities, including widespread sexual violence,” he stated. He also pointed to alarming reports in recent days of mass killings and sexual violence in the Jazira region, central Sudan.
Guterres further noted that the Sudanese are also experiencing a nightmare of hunger, with over 750,000 people facing severe food insecurity, famine-like conditions in parts of North Darfur, and millions struggling daily to feed themselves. Additionally, he highlighted outbreaks of diseases like cholera, malaria, dengue fever, and German measles, exacerbated by collapsing infrastructure, including health, transportation, water, sanitation, and agricultural supply systems.
According to Guterres, Sudan now faces the world’s largest displacement crisis, with over 11 million people forced from their homes since the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in April 2023. This number includes nearly 3 million who have crossed borders into neighboring countries. He warned that Sudan is quickly becoming another nightmare of ethnic violence, especially with the escalation of fighting in El Fasher, Darfur.
The Secretary-General urged both sides to cease fighting and come to the negotiating table, lamenting that instead of de-escalating, both sides are intensifying military actions, fueled by foreign powers adding to the chaos. He warned that the conflict could dangerously destabilize the region from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.
