Sudan: Civilian death toll triples in one week amid escalating hostilities
KHARTOUM, Feb 7 (AFP) – The death toll among civilians in Sudan has tripled in the past week amid escalating hostilities between government forces and rebels in the country’s southern region, according to the United Nations.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report released on Tuesday that at least 32 civilians had been killed in the past week alone, bringing the total number of civilian deaths since the start of the conflict in December 2022 to 102.
The report said that the majority of the casualties were caused by airstrikes and ground fighting in the Blue Nile and West Kordofan states.
“The situation in Sudan is deteriorating rapidly,” said OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke. “The escalating violence is having a devastating impact on civilians, who are being killed, injured, and displaced from their homes.”
The conflict in Sudan began in December 2022 when rebels from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) launched an offensive against government forces in the Blue Nile and West Kordofan states. The SPLM-N is a rebel group that has been fighting for greater autonomy for the country’s southern region since 2011.
The government has responded to the offensive with a military campaign that has included airstrikes and ground operations. The fighting has displaced an estimated 200,000 people and created a humanitarian crisis in the region.
The UN has called for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks between the government and the SPLM-N. However, both sides have so far refused to enter into negotiations.
The international community has condemned the violence in Sudan and called for an end to the conflict. The United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have all imposed sanctions on the Sudanese government in an effort to pressure it to halt the violence and start peace talks.
The conflict in Sudan is the latest in a series of civil wars that have plagued the country since it gained independence from Britain in 1956. The country has been wracked by fighting between the north and the south, between different ethnic groups, and between the government and rebel groups.
The current conflict is a major setback for Sudan’s peace process. The country has been struggling to rebuild since the end of a long civil war in 2005. The new conflict threatens to derail the country’s progress and plunge it back into instability.
Sudan: Civilian death toll triples in one week amid escalating hostilities
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