Accra: The situation across Sudan's Kordofan region is rapidly worsening, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) warned on Monday. Hostilities have been intensifying between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and two armed groups: the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia that has been battling the military government for control since April 2023, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North.
According to EMM, over the weekend, drone attacks targeted a UN base, killing six peacekeepers from the UNIFSA mission, while another six people were killed in a hospital attack in South Kordofan State, based on initial information from the UN human rights office (OHCHR). Meanwhile, OCHA reported artillery shelling on Monday, posing further threats to civilians. UN human rights chief Volker Trk urged all parties to the conflict and States with influence to ensure an immediate ceasefire and prevent atrocities, emphasizing that medical facilities are protected under international humanitarian law.
The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 1,700 people were displaced between Thursday and Saturday from multiple towns in South Kordofan. In North Darfur State, displacement continues to rise from the besieged El Fasher into Tawila, where the UN is delivering emergency aid. More than 25,000 people in Tawila have been registered since late October after fleeing along insecure routes where they face extreme danger. Despite severe access and logistical constraints, the World Food Programme (WFP) assisted about half a million people in Tawila in November and has consistently reached some 2 million people every month across the Darfur region.
Providing an update at Tuesday's noon briefing in New York, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq stated that the wounded peacekeepers who underwent lifesaving surgery in Kadugli, Sudan, were evacuated to the UN mission headquarters in the disputed Abyei region on Tuesday morning. Other injured personnel were also evacuated there, with four of them subsequently sent to Nairobi, Kenya, for further medical treatment. The remains of the six fallen soldiers have been transported to Entebbe, Uganda, and arrangements are underway for their repatriation to Bangladesh. Mr. Haq emphasized that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law, calling for accountability.