The African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have issued a stark warning about the escalating conflict in Sudan.
Clashes between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur and Kordofan were renewed, highlighting a serious threat to civilian security.
In a joint statement, both organizations urged the Sudanese Army and the RSF to immediately cease hostilities and seek a peaceful resolution to their conflict, as reported by the Arab World News Agency.
The statement emphasized that “there is no military solution to the Sudanese crisis” and warned that prolonged warfare could further jeopardize Sudan’s unity.
The African Union and IGAD also expressed concerns over the RSF potentially launching an attack on the city of El Fasher, which could result in a high number of civilian casualties.
This situation, they noted, would exacerbate the already dire humanitarian conditions in Sudan.
Samantha Power, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, commented last Saturday that a potential RSF attack on El Fasher in North Darfur would drastically worsen the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the region.
She added via her X (formerly Twitter) account that the attack would likely lead to atrocities against civilians in Darfur.
The conflict between the Sudanese Army and the RSF erupted in mid-April 2023 following weeks of tension over plans to integrate the RSF into the army, at a time when military and civilian parties were finalizing a politically supported international process.
Columns of smoke rose in El Fasher as a result of mutual shelling between the army and Rapid Support Forces, while clashes are ongoing in the eastern outskirts of El Fasher.
This comes after the United Nations Security Council expressed deep concern about an imminent attack planned by the RSF and allied factions on the city of El Fasher, where hundreds of thousands live who have fled violence in other areas of Sudan.
