The UN Assistant Secretary General has welcomed ongoing efforts by the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) trade bloc to end the conflict in Sudan.
“UNITAMS (United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan) remains committed to support these efforts including through the AU-led Expanded Mechanism and its Core Group – which the UN is a part of,” Martha Ama Pobee told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
“We also welcome the continued efforts of the US and Saudi Arabia to facilitate negotiations between the conflicting parties in Jeddah, as well as the initiative of Sudan's neighbouring countries to help resolve the conflict,” she added.
The Security Council met to discuss Sudan, with Pobee briefing the group on the situation.
Epicentre
She said Khartoum remains the epicentre of the conflict, while noting fighting between parties continue in Bahri, Omdurman and Darfur.
Underlining the “tremendous suffering” on the people of the Darfur region, she said fighting in the capital continues to “reopen the old wounds of ethnic tension of past conflicts in the region.”
“The conflict in Sudan continues to have immense repercussions on the country and its people who continue to face unimaginable suffering,” she said.
“The humanitarian and protection needs are rising by the day with no signs of a reprieve.
“The longer this war continues, the greater the risk of fragmentation and foreign interference and erosion of sovereignty, and the loss of Sudan’s future,” she said.
