UN warns Sudan conflict has potential to destabilize region
A week-long ceasefire in Sudan may lead to talks, but fighting in Sudan still has the potential to cause additional regional instability and the United Nations has again called for both sides in Sudan to put the interest of the Sudanese people first and foremost.
“The ongoing conflict in Sudan, if not halted, can very likely have a regional impact. The region itself is rather fragile,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General António Guterres. “It could have an impact on what is going on in South Sudan. It could have an impact in Chad.
“I mean, you’re seeing a country like Chad, which is already dealing with its own challenges, welcoming more refugees, welcoming Chadians who are returnees.”
Dujarric said Chad also is home to refugees from Cameroon, Central African Republic, and other places, with the conflict in Sudan placing strain on mechanisms to provide humanitarian aid. Some 250,000 people have fled Sudan since fighting broke out in Khartoum in April and spread across the nation, pitting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RAF) against each other.
The SAF is led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, whose controversial military rule followed the 2021 removal of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Hamdok had been part of a transitional government since the arrest of former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, leads the RAF and served alongside Burhan in the transitional government.
Volker Perthes, above, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, told the UN Security Council on Monday that serious human rights violations are occurring, notably with an increase in tribal and ethnic violence.
Image: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Laureen Fagan
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Laureen is a freelance journalist creating high-quality, informed content on international affairs, politics and technology. She has worked both in and out of newsrooms since 2000. She is a former paramedic with significant experience in community resilience and nonprofit community development initiatives, and maintains "a passion for action" on sustainability and climate change. She also is trained in conflict resolution and diversity, and has special interests in science and medical reporting, and culture and religion issues. Laureen received her MSJ from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in the United States, and completed additional graduate study in theology at University of Notre Dame. Follow Laureen on Mastodon at @laureen@m.ai6yr.org
