UN chief sends envoy to Sudan as crisis nears 'breaking point'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is sending an envoy to Sudan as the humanitarian crisis in nears “breaking point”, a spokesperson for the global body has announced.

An aerial view of black smoke rising over Khartoum on April 28, 2023. © AFP

Emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths will travel to the region immediately – a visit that comes amid continued heavy fighting between the army and paramilitaries in Khartoum despite a ceasefire.

“The scale and speed of what is unfolding is unprecedented in Sudan,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement on Sunday.

“We are extremely concerned by the immediate as well as long-term impact on all people in Sudan, and the broader region.”

The UN again appealed to both sides to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, allow safe passage for civilians fleeing hostilities and to respect humanitarian workers.

Aid supplies depleted

Essential goods are becoming scarce, with families struggling to access water, food, fuel and other critical supplies.

In a se­parate statement, Griffiths said that massive looting of humanitarian offices and warehouses had depleted the supplies of the UN and its partners.

“Access to urgent health care, including for those injured in the violence, is severely constrained, raising the risk of preventable death,” he said.

The toll on mental health, especially for children and young people, is unfathomable.

"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."

• Sudan's rival factions extend ceasefire for 72 hours as thousands flee fighting
• Thousands flee fighting in Sudan as humanitarian aid arrives

Thousands flee the country

More than 500 people have been killed and tens of thousands of forced to flee their homes since the fighting broke out on 15 April between Sudan's de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the regular army, and his ex-deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Some 50,000 people have fled the raging conflict, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries including Chad, Egypt, and the Central African Republic, said the UN refugee agency.

The fighting has also triggered a mass exodus of foreigners and international staff, with countries the world over launching frantic evacuations by land, sea, and air.

Sudan's former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok warned on Saturday against the conflict deteriorating into civil war.

"God forbid if Sudan is to reach a point of civil war proper ... Syria, Yemen, Libya will be a small play," Hamdok told an event in Nairobi. "I think it would be a nightmare for the world."

The UN World Food Programme said it feared that the unrest could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where 15 million people already need aid to stave off famine.