WASHINGTON

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "gravely concerned" over recent drone attacks on the Sudanese city of Port Sudan, which further complicate aid operations in the country, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Guterres "warns that this major escalation could lead to large-scale civilian casualties and further destruction of critical infrastructure," Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

He is also "alarmed" at the expansion of the conflict into an area that has served as a place of refuge for large numbers of people displaced from the capital, Khartoum, and other areas.

Witnesses reported a new drone strike in Port Sudan on Wednesday, amid raging fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Guterres reiterated that all parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, Dujarric said.

"They must not direct attacks against civilians and civilian objects; must take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any event to minimize, incidental civilian casualties; and must allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need," he added.

Stressing that Guterres is "concerned at the lack of political will" of the parties to return to the negotiating table, Dujarric said the UN chief calls on the parties to engage "constructively" with the mediation support mechanisms already in place to assist the parties to reach a political solution

"He renews his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and stresses that dialogue is the only way to achieve the peace that the people of Sudan demand," Dujarric added.

The Red Sea city has become the temporary administrative capital and a de facto seat of the Sudanese government following the outbreak of clashes with the RSF since April 2023.

Sudanese officials have repeatedly accused the rebel group of launching drone attacks on civilian infrastructure, including power stations and other facilities, in northern cities such as Merowe, Dongola, Al Dabba and Atbara.

Since April 2023, the RSF has been battling the army for control of Sudan, resulting in thousands of deaths and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

More than 20,000 people have been killed and 15 million displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US scholars, however, puts the death toll at around 130,000.