Thu Sep 19 07:27:35 UTC 2024: ## Urgent Action Needed to Halt Fighting in El Fasher, Sudan: UN Warns
**New York, September 18, 2024** – The United Nations has issued a dire warning, urging immediate action to stop the escalating conflict in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur region.
According to Martha Pobee, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, hundreds of thousands of civilians are at risk as fighting intensifies between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
“We urge members of the Security Council to employ their collective leverage to help protect the population caught in the crossfire,” Pobee told council members.
El Fasher, the last capital in Darfur not under rebel control, has been under siege for months, with civilians, including 700,000 displaced from other parts of Sudan, receiving limited assistance.
Pobee emphasized the need to explore the possibility of local ceasefires, noting that a previous ceasefire in El Fasher had protected the city’s population for almost a year.
The ongoing war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis. Over 10 million people have fled their homes, and famine has been confirmed in North Darfur. The UN estimates that 26 million people are facing severe hunger across the country.
Despite a June resolution by the Security Council calling for an immediate halt to fighting and de-escalation around El Fasher, the conflict continues unabated.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed frustration with the warring generals’ lack of concern for their people. “The truth is that you have two generals, and you have two groups, one army and one paramilitary institution, that are fighting each other, without any consideration for the needs and the dramatic impacts of their people,” he said.
US President Joe Biden echoed the call for peace, urging both sides to withdraw their forces, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and re-engage in negotiations. While the US and its partners have managed to open some humanitarian routes, they have yet to bring an end to the fighting.
With the annual UN General Assembly approaching, diplomats are seeking solutions. General Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, is expected to attend the meeting in New York and will participate in discussions about the situation in Sudan.
Both Burhan and Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo have expressed a commitment to peace, with Dagalo stating his willingness to engage in ceasefire negotiations and “secure a future free from fear and suffering for all Sudanese civilians.”
However, the urgency of the situation remains paramount, and the international community faces the difficult task of finding a solution to end the suffering of millions of Sudanese citizens.
First Piper 