Sudan conflict: UN chief sending envoy to nation as fighting continues

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was sending an envoy to Sudan amid the "unprecedented" situation in the conflict-torn country, his spokesperson said on Sunday (April 30), the news agency AFP reported early Monday. UN emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths would serve as the envoy. Announcing Griffiths' deployment, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that the envoy would travel to the region immediately. "The scale and speed of what is unfolding is unprecedented in Sudan," Dujarric said in a statement, adding the UN was extremely concerned.

Griffiths, meanwhile, said that Sudan's humanitarian situation was reaching breaking point. "I am on my way to the region to explore how we can bring immediate relief to the millions of people whose lives have turned upside down overnight," Griffiths said.

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He added that massive looting in humanitarian offices and warehouses depleted most of the UN's supplies, and the UN was exploring ways to bring in and distribute additional supplies. Griffiths also said that five containers of intravenous fluids and other emergency supplies were docked in Port Sudan awaiting clearance by authorities

The envoy pointed out that families were struggling to access water, food, fuel, and other commodities, with some unable to relocate due to the cost of transportation out of the worst-hit areas. He further said that urgent healthcare was severely constrained, increasing the risk of preventable death.

Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Sudan was collapsing and there was no right to go on fighting for power. "There is no right to go on fighting for power when the country is falling apart," Guterres told Al Arabiya television, AFP reported on Sunday.

ALSO READ | Red Cross aid's first flight reaches Sudan as fighting intensifies

Fighting in Sudan rages on despite the raging factions- the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announcing the extension of the existing ceasefire for a further 72 hours.

Over 500 people have been killed so far and tens of thousands of people forced to leave their homes for safer locations within Sudan or abroad since fighting began on April 15. Fighting has escalated inDarfur region – including the use of heavy weaponry, and attacks on civilians, according to a report by The Guardian on Sunday.

On Sunday, a Red Cross aircraft laden with humanitarian aid landed in Sudan. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, eight tonnes of humanitarian cargo included surgical material to "support Sudanese hospitals and volunteers from the Sudan Red Crescent Society."

(With inputs from agencies)

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