The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has appealed for an immediate ceasefire in and around the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have been trapped for over a year.

Mr Guterres said he was “appalled by the relentless attacks” by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia on the North Darfur state capital, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement on Friday.

The paramilitary group and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been battling for control of the devastated country since April 2023, and El Fasher has been the epicentre of fighting for more than 500 days.

Recent weeks have seen near-continuous shelling in the city and repeated deadly incursions into the adjoining Abu Shouk displacement camp, where famine conditions were identified last December.

Since August 11, the UN has documented the killing of at least 125 civilians in the El Fasher area, including summary executions – although the actual number is likely to be higher.

“The Secretary-General is alarmed at the grave risks of serious violations of international humanitarian law as well as violations and abuses of international human rights law, including ethnically motivated ones,” Mr Dujarric said.

Meanwhile, supplies are pre-positioned near El Fasher, but the UN and partners continue to face obstacles in moving them into the city.

Some 70 trucks of humanitarian assistance are currently waiting in Nyala, South Darfur, a top official with the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Thursday in New York.

Dujarric also noted that repeated attacks on humanitarian personnel and assets in North Darfur have occurred over recent months.

He said, “The secretary-general calls for an immediate ceasefire in and around the El Fasher area.’’

Furthermore, the UN chief “insists that immediate steps must be taken to protect civilians and enable the safe, unhindered and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance into the area, and to allow any civilians seeking to leave the area voluntarily to do so safely.”

In the interim, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, continues to engage the warring parties and “stands ready to support genuine efforts to halt the violence and establish an inclusive political process that the people of Sudan demand.”  

(NAN)