UN chief says flow of weapons to Sudan 'must stop'
UN chief Antonio Guterres said the conflict in Sudan, which has killed tens of thousands and uprooted over 12 million since it began in April 2023, was an ‘unprecedented humanitarian crisis on the African continent’.
FILE: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks on his priorities for 2024 during a press briefing at UN headquarters on 8 February 2024 in New York, United States. Picture: AFP
ADDIS ABABA - UN chief Antonio Guterres called for an end to the influx of weapons fuelling war in Sudan, as leaders gathered in Ethiopia to discuss the "unprecedented" crisis on Friday.
"Civilians must be protected, safe humanitarian access must be facilitated, and the flow of weapons must stop," said Guterres at the meeting on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.
He said the conflict in Sudan, which has killed tens of thousands and uprooted over 12 million since it began in April 2023, was an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis on the African continent".
The chair of the African Union, Moussa Faki, called on all parties "to immediately and permanently cease fire".
He called the conflict "the moral failure of our time".
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier told AFP it was calling for a "humanitarian pause" in Sudan during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Ramadan.
The UAE is accused by Sudan of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting the regular army - an allegation the Gulf state denies.
"This war has really gone on for too long, cost too many lives and brought about immense suffering," Reem al-Hashimy, the UAE's minister of state for international cooperation, told AFP in Addis Ababa.
"We are hopeful that by having this humanitarian pause we will be able to deliver aid unhindered... to those that need it the most, particularly women and children who are suffering in unprecedented ways," she added.
She said the UAE would make a commitment of an additional $200 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan.
US lawmakers said last month that the UAE had broken its promises to stop providing military aid to the RSF.
Other powers including Egypt, Turkey, Iran and Russia have also been accused of supporting sides in the war between duelling generals.
The Sudanese army controls the east and north of the country, while the RSF holds most of the stricken Darfur region, where the United Nations on Monday accused it of blocking aid.
On Tuesday, the African Union called the war the "worst humanitarian crisis in the world", with more than 431,000 children receiving treatment for malnutrition last year.