UN announces renewed fighting in southern Sudan with 80 dead
The UN has announced the renewal of fighting in southern Sudan has left at least 80 people dead.
According to the Middle East Monitor on February 11th, the continuous violence has forced thousands of civilians to leave their homes and seek sanctuary in neighboring towns.
The African Union and other regional partners have requested intervention from international bodies in the search for peace negotiations.
The security vacuum that exists in many areas of Sudan is making aid distribution difficult, as vital supplies “face looting and destruction,” the Middle East Monitor reported.
The renewed fighting, occurring in remote areas, is causing fear of more violence.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, has demanded an immediate end to hostility. Civilians endure the most suffering from the continuing violence. A UN spokesperson has also demanded that all armed groups respect human rights and facilitate humanitarian access.
The sharp death toll of 80 from renewed fighting follows a report by the Middle East Monitor via Anadolu Agency on February 10th, which reported that Sudan’s Foreign Minister said the war is “nearing its end amid military gains against the paramilitary RSF in the capital Khartoum.”
The army has, over the last week, consolidated their grip on the capital of Khartoum and have called for diplomatic support for a new government, according to Maghrebi.
Displaced Sudanese people have been going back to Wad Madani and the city of Bahri, north of Khartoum. Subsequently, there have been efforts by the state and voluntary organisations to provide transportation to displaced persons to return home, as reported by Maghrebi.
But the report notes that, despite these efforts, those that choose to return still face a humanitarian crisis, with a lack of electricity and shortages of water.
The conflict in Sudan which began in mid-April 2023 has killed “more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000,” according to the Middle East Monitor.
Middle East Monitor, Maghrebi, Anadolu Agency
