A United Nations (UN) representative has issued a stark warning about the ongoing battles in Sudan between the military and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as they inch closer to the contentious Abyei region and the border with South Sudan.
Hanna Tetteh, the UN Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, expressed concern over the conflict’s “significant humanitarian, security, and economic consequences that are alarming leaders in South Sudan.”
During a dedicated Security Council session on this issue, she highlighted recent military developments in Sudan, including the Rapid Support Forces’ recent takeover of the Belila airport and oil field.
This advancement has brought the confrontation between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF dangerously close to the Abyei area and the South Sudanese border.
Simultaneously, UNICEF has called for a redoubling of efforts to address the plight of millions of children and families in Sudan.
The organization specified that three million children have fled the violence, most remaining within the country, seeking safety, food, shelter, and healthcare.
After 200 days since the outbreak of the war between the RSF and the Sudanese army, UNICEF announced that Sudan now faces the largest child displacement crisis in the world.
Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, the commander of the RSF, reiterated his support for real peace in a video clip released during a graduation ceremony for a batch of his soldiers.
Hemedti urged the citizens in the areas controlled by the RSF to form local administrations, emphasizing the inclusion of their executive directors, except for the ‘Kizan.’
He clarified the situation regarding the withdrawal of the 21st brigade leaders from the headquarters in Zalingei, denying at the same time the army’s withdrawal from the Nyala headquarters, instead referring to it as a defeat.
