UN chief warns of ‘full-scale civil war’ in conflict-torn Sudan

By Rasa Evrensel

ISTANBUL (AA) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the ongoing conflict in Sudan may lead to a full-scale civil war.

The UN chief "remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilizing the entire region,” his spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.

"There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing," he said.

Sudan has been ravaged by clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April, in a conflict that killed nearly 3,000 civilians and injured thousands, according to local medics.

Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi and US mediators between the warring rivals had failed to end violence in the country.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that nearly three million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since fall 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar