The UN chief spoke earlier in the day with President William Ruto of Kenya and African Union (AU) Commission Chair Moussa Faki.
Mr Guterres will attend a virtual meeting on Sudan on Thursday, bringing together the AU chair, the Arab League secretary-general, the executive secretary of the East African bloc, IGAD, and other relevant organizations to discuss ways the international community can contribute to end the violence and restore order in Sudan.
UN fully engaged
“Obviously today he will remain fully engaged, on the phone and trying to secure a 24-hour ceasefire that will give all affected civilians in Khartoum a much-needed respite,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said told Journalists attending his daily lunchtime briefing in New York.
The UN Special Envoy in Sudan, Volker Perthes, continues to engage with local parties, key Sudanese leaders and member states to seek an immediate de-escalation of the fighting.
The crisis between the Sudanese armed forces and formerly paramilitary allies, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), arose as the country appeared to be returning to the path of democratic transition. The sides disagree over the process of restoring civilian rule.
New 24-hour ceasefire
The deadly clashes erupted on Saturday. An initial 24-hour ceasefire announced for 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday collapsed within minutes of the deadline.
The parties committed to a new 24-hour ceasefire on Wednesday, also beginning at 6 p.m. local time, but some international media reported shelling continued.
The UN, AU and IGAD – known as the Trilateral Mechanism – granted a statement Appealing to the sides “at this time to create the necessary conditions for civilians to seek safe shelter, food and medical care.”
Devastating effects on the civilian population
Mr Dujarric said the ongoing heavy fighting was having a devastating impact on civilians, as well as UN staff and other members of the international community.
“We reiterate to the parties to the conflict that they must respect international law,” he said.
“You have a duty to protect civilians and ensure the security of all United Nations and associated personnel and its premises and our assets, and captured civilians must be able to receive assistance, gain access to essential supplies and to be evacuated to safer zones if necessary. ”
Vital supplies are dwindling
As the crisis deepens, humanitarian workers are warning that people are running out of food, fuel and other essential supplies, and many are in urgent need of medical supplies.
“We urgently need a humanitarian break to allow wounded and sick civilians to reach hospitals,” Mr Dujarric said, adding: “People in Khartoum have not been able to leave their homes safely for days to buy food and other essential necessities.”
He reported that humanitarian aid remained severely hampered and called for an end to attacks on aid workers and the looting of humanitarian facilities.
“Humanitarian aid must be able to carry out its work safely. Aid organizations need to be able to safely move workers and replenish essential supplies,” he stressed.
concerns of the health system
The UN also fears that Sudan’s healthcare system could collapse entirely as hospitals need additional staff and supplies, including blood.
The violence and attacks have forced 16 hospitals across the country to close, including nine in Khartoum alone, Mr Dujarric said, citing the World Health Organization (WHO).WHO). Another 16 hospitals, including those in Darfur states, could soon close due to staff fatigue and lack of supplies.
“It goes without saying that we condemn all attacks on health workers, facilities and ambulances – putting more lives at risk,” he said. “These are flagrant violations of international law and they must stop.”
Sudanese refugees seek refuge in neighboring Chad after violence erupted in Darfur.
Sudanese refugees arrive in Chad
As fighting continues in Sudan, humanitarian organizations are also monitoring the arrival of new Sudanese refugees in neighboring Chad, said a representative of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said early Wednesday.
UNHCR’s Laura Lo Castro tweeted about a joint mission undertaken with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Chad’s National Refugee Commission to monitor the influx of new Sudanese refugees in the east, “to assess and agree on urgent needs [a] Response Plan”.
She said there were an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 new refugees in the first three sites visited.
All newcomers will find themselves in a situation characterized by rising humanitarian needs and chronic underfunding.
Just last week, before the military power struggle erupted in Sudan, WFP warned that hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons in Chad could starve because of the lack of food aid funds beyond next May.
