ICRC chief urges Sudan leaders to grant org humanitarian access
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The secretary-general of the ICRC calls on the parties to the Sudan conflict to grant his organization humanitarian access in light of the ongoing war in the country.
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Residential buildings damaged in fighting are seen in Khartoum, Sudan, April 20, 2023 (AP)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) "implores" the parties to the conflict in Sudan to grant it immediate humanitarian access as provided by the rules of international law, so that the organization can help civilians in need, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said Friday as the conflict in the country escalates.
"The suffering is made worse by the fact that the ICRC has been unable to get aid to the people who need it most, as the parties have not given us the necessary security guarantees," she explained.
"This cannot go on. We implore the parties to grant the ICRC immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to assist Sudanese civilians in need. This is not optional – it is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law," the ICRC chief underlined in a statement.
Moreover, Spoljaric said her organization prioritized providing medical care to hospitals and repairing their water and electricity infrastructure.
"We are ready to deliver more supplies as soon as there is a pause in the fighting," she added.
According to Sudan's Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim on Friday, the first day of the Muslim festival known as Eid al-Fitr saw almost 60 fatalities and more than 200 injuries.
"Armed clashes are currently taking place in four provinces of Sudan, primarily in Khartoum. Hospitals suffered the most in Khartoum, while the situation is calmer in other provinces. On the first day of the holiday, 59 people were killed and more than 200 wounded," Ibrahim told the Asharq News broadcaster.
About 1,600 civilians have been killed and injured since the outbreak of clashes last Saturday, and the Sudanese Ministry of Health said a third of Khartoum hospitals are out of service.
The Sudanese Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah said the military has started "gradually cleaning out the hotspots of the Rapid Support Forces in the vicinity of the capital, Khartoum."
"The exceptional conditions that our people encountered will be resolved with the solidarity between the army and the people," Abdallah added.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the sides to commit to a ceasefire, expressing his disappointment that the UN-brokered ceasefire aimed at providing safe humanitarian corridors was only "partially" honored on Sunday.
The US joined the UN calling for an immediate ceasefire without preconditions between the two armed groups, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby stated on Monday.
The official urged Americans currently present in Sudan to treat the situation with utmost concern, adding that there are no current plans for the evacuation of US citizens from the country at this time.
However, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire on humanitarian grounds starting at 6:00 am local time (4:00 GMT) on Friday.
On Thursday, US State Secretary Antony Blinken spoke with Sudan Army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the commander of the RSF, and urged the parties to the conflict in Sudan to uphold a nationwide ceasefire until the end of the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday on April 23.
As quoted by Reuters, the RSF said that "the truce coincides with the blessed Eid Al-Fitr ... to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them the opportunity to greet their families."
