'Sudan is trapped in a nightmare': UN official

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Tuesday expressed alarm Tuesday for the escalating nightmare" for civilians in Sudan.

"As the Secretary-General said in this chamber on 28 October, Sudan is trapped in a nightmare. The latest wave of attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in eastern Al-Gazira state has been marked by what non-governmental organizations have described as some of the most extreme violence in the last 18 months," UN Political Affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo told a UN Security Council session on Sudan.

Condemning the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF for ongoing attacks, DiCarlo said the violence has subjected civilians to "appalling suffering.”

"The people of Sudan need an immediate cease-fire. An end to the fighting is the most effective way of protecting civilians," she said.

DiCarlo added that international arms flowing to both parties are exacerbating the conflict, allowing each side to persist in the belief they could "prevail on the battlefield."

"To put it bluntly, certain purported allies of the parties are enabling the slaughter in Sudan. This is unconscionable, it is illegal, and it must end,” she stressed.

Director of Coordination at the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Ramesh Rajasingham, echoed DiCarlo's concerns, describing the situation as one of "unimaginable suffering amid unrelenting brutal violence."

Rajasingham highlighted disturbing reports of mass killings and sexual violence, particularly against women and girls, which he called "a sickening hallmark of this conflict."

"Women and girls continue to be at the center of the horrendous suffering, as displacement and hunger put them at increased risk of gender-based violence and sexual violence, exploitation and abuse," he said.

Noting that Sudan has the "world's largest displacement crisis," he stated that "more than 11 million people have been displaced since April of last year – nearly 3 million of whom have sought refuge in neighboring countries."

​​​​​​​He warned of "a severe hunger crisis affecting millions," with hundreds of thousands at risk.

"The international community must take what’s happening in Sudan seriously and must take urgent action to address it," he urged, calling for expanded humanitarian access, financial support and ultimately, peace.

Since April 2023, the SAF and the RSF have been engaged in a conflict that has resulted in more than 20,000 deaths and displaced nearly 13 million people, according to the UN.

There has been a growing call from the UN and international bodies to end the conflict, as the war has pushed millions of Sudanese to the brink of famine and death due to food shortages, with fighting spreading to 13 of Sudan's 18 states.