October 29, Nairobi — The people of Sudan are trapped in a “nightmare of violence, hunger, disease and displacement,” the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday.
But the conditions “do not exist for the deployment of a United Nations force to protect civilians in Sudan,” he said. “This may require new approaches that are adapted to the challenging circumstances of the conflict,” he said.
Guterres told the UN Security Council that as the war between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (RSF) rages on, thousands of civilians have been killed and “countless others facing unspeakable atrocities, including widespread rape and sexual assaults.”
This comes after reports of over 120 civilians being killed by the RSF in Gezira state. On Monday UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that the “violence is part of a vast man-made humanitarian catastrophe,” in a statement on Monday.
“Sudan is now home to the world’s largest displacement and humanitarian crisis – a crisis that is increasingly impacting the broader region,” Russell said. “The world cannot stand by while Sudan’s children face unspeakable horrors.”
Displacement Crisis
Sudan is the largest displacement crisis in the world, with over 11 million people fleeing since the war broke out in April 2023, Guterres also noted.
Guterres warned that famine conditions are already taking hold in displacement camps in North Darfur, leaving 750,000 people on the brink of starvation. Millions across the country and also struggling to feed themselves. He also noted that disease outbreaks, including cholera, malaria and dengue fever, are spreading quickly due to the collapse of the health system.
Guterres called on both SAF and the RSF to stop fighting and seek peace through negotiations. “Instead of lowering tensions, they are escalating military action,” he said. He also accused “outside powers” of “fueling the fire.”