The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called on all parties to recent clashes in Khartoum and other cities in Sudan to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians.
Development Diaries reports that heavy gunfire and blasts have been confirmed in densely populated residential areas with numerous civilian causalities and destruction of property recorded.
‘We are extremely worried that the fighting is affecting densely populated areas. People are seeking cover in their houses’, Head of the ICRC in Sudan, Alfonso Verdu Perez, said in a statement.
‘We call on all parties to facilitate the work of humanitarian organisations so that we can help those in need’.
Fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has raged on as groups continue to disagree on how the country should transition to civilian rule.
According to media reports, nearly 100 people have been killed, with about 1,100 people estimated to have been injured.
While international humanitarian law stipulates that feasible precautionary measures be taken to avoid civilian casualties and ensure quick and safe access for ambulances and medical personnel to reach injured persons, parties to the conflict continue to flaunt this law.
Damages to civilian properties and public facilities continue to disrupt essential services like health care, water and power, pushing many further into humanitarian crises.
Development Diaries calls on the African Union (AU) through the Peace and Security Council to undertake peacemaking and peacebuilding functions to resolve conflicts where they have occurred.
We also call on humanitarian organisations to increase their response to ensure vulnerable people get urgent assistance.
Source: ICRC
Photo source: AFP
