UN officials warn that the armed conflict in Sudan may "engulf the entire country" as it continues
The Sudan Rapid Support Force launched a new round of attacks on an important armored unit base in the southern part of the capital Khartoum on the 25th. UN officials warned on the same day that this conflict could "engulf the entire country.".
According to Agence France Presse, since the 20th, the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces have been vying for control of the aforementioned bases. Witnesses said that the rapid support forces launched a new round of attacks on the base on the 25th.
The video footage released by the Sudanese Armed Forces shows that the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Abdul Fatah Burhan, appeared outside his headquarters in Khartoum for the second consecutive day on the 25th, which has been surrounded by rapid support forces for several weeks. The footage also shows that on that day, at the Atbara base in the Nile state, about 300 kilometers east of Khartoum, Burhan stepped off a helicopter and was welcomed by soldiers.
Since the outbreak of the armed conflict in Sudan in April this year, the relevant footage of Burhan has been rarely disclosed to the public. But on the 24th, the military released some photos showing Burhan talking to soldiers. According to the photo text, he was at the Wadi Said Ne Air Force Base north of Khartoum at the time. Another video shows him surrounded by civilians in the capital city of Entuman, the west gate.
The armed conflict in Sudan erupted on April 15th in the southern suburbs of Khartoum and quickly spread to the entire city and other states. Through international mediation, both parties to the conflict have reached ceasefire agreements several times, but the agreements have not been implemented.
The Sudanese government stated in June that the conflict resulted in over 3000 deaths, and no relevant data has been released since then. Some activists and doctors say that the actual number of deaths may be much higher.
The "Armed Conflict Sites and Events Database Project", which focuses on global conflict activities, conservatively estimates that the conflict in Sudan has caused nearly 5000 deaths nationwide.
According to United Nations data, over 4.6 million people in Sudan have been forced to flee their homes due to the conflict. As the conflict continues, over half of the country's population needs humanitarian assistance. Some experts warn that over 6 million people in Sudan are on the brink of famine.
"The conflict in Sudan is leading to an increasingly severe humanitarian emergency on a large scale," said Martin Griffith, Deputy Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs at the United Nations, on the 25th. The conflict, along with the accompanying famine, disease outbreaks, and population displacement, could "engulf the entire country.".
"The longer the battle lasts, the greater its destructive impact. Some places have run out of food," Griffith said. "Thousands of children are severely malnourished, and if measures are not taken in a timely manner, they will face the risk of death."
The senior United Nations official said that in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, "aid workers are unable to provide assistance to hungry people due to conflicts and road blockades, and food reserves have been completely depleted.".
