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UNITED NATIONS —A senior United Nations official warned Wednesday that "immediate action" is needed to halt the fighting in the capital of Sudan's North Darfur region, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are at risk.
"We urge members of the Security Council to employ their collective leverage to help protect the population caught in the crossfire," Martha Pobee, U.N. assistant secretary-general for Africa, told council members.
A round of large-scale fighting erupted on September 12 between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who advanced on the capital of El Fasher from multiple directions, and the Sudanese Armed Forces, who are positioned inside the city.
El Fasher is the only capital in the Darfur region that has not yet fallen to the rebel paramilitary.
Civilians inside the large city, including an estimated 700,000 people displaced from other parts of Sudan, have been under siege for months with little outside assistance.
Pobee urged exploring the possibility of local cease-fires.
"Prior to the deterioration of the situation in El Fasher, a local cease-fire protected the city's population for close to a year," she said. "A return to such an arrangement in El Fasher and similar short-term solutions in other locations must continue to be pursued."
War causes humanitarian crisis
Sudan is experiencing a massive humanitarian crisis because of the war between two rival generals that began in April 2023. More than 10 million people have fled their homes in search of safety, and last month, international monitors confirmed famine in North Darfur. According to the United Nations, 26 million people are in crisis levels of hunger across the country.
In June, the 15-nation Security Council adopted a resolution calling for "an immediate halt to the fighting and for de-escalation in and around El Fasher," but it has been totally ignored.
During a news conference Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his frustration with the intransigence of Sudan's warring generals.
"I mean, the truth is that you have two generals, and you have two groups, one army and one paramilitary institution, that are fighting each other, without any consideration for the needs and the dramatic impacts of their people," he said. "The level of hunger is spreading terribly in Sudan. The number of people killed and maimed is increasing dramatically. And as a matter of fact, all this is done with total impunity."
On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement that both sides must pull back their forces, facilitate unhindered humanitarian access and re-engage in negotiations to end the war.
The United States, Saudi Arabia and other partners have pressed for peace for months. While the U.S. and its partners have been successful in opening up some routes for humanitarian relief into Sudan, they so far have failed to silence the guns.
Diplomats continue seeking solutions
Next week, the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces and chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, will be in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly meetings.
Diplomats say there will be multiple meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly gathering to discuss the situation in Sudan, including a ministerial-level meeting to be hosted by the United States, France, Germany and the European Union.
Burhan said Wednesday that the government "remains resolute and fully committed to ending the suffering of our citizens" and is open to all constructive efforts aimed at ending the war. He said he looks forward to discussing it further during his trip to New York.
Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo expressed a similar commitment Thursday, saying on X that his side is "willing to go anywhere in the world in search of peace."
"We reaffirm our commitment to cease-fire negotiations. We believe that the path to peace lies in dialogue, not random violence, and we will continue to engage in peace processes to secure a future free from fear and suffering for all Sudanese civilians," Dagalo said.