The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkwita Salami, called on the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to deliver on promises made in Jeddah on Tuesday to protect civilians and provide unhindered humanitarian access.
Facilitators at the Jeddah platform for negotiations between the army and the RSF announced yesterday that both sides are committed to taking steps to facilitate increased humanitarian assistance and the implementation of confidence-building measures.
The two sides have been engaged in fierce battles in the capital Khartoum and other areas, especially Darfur, since mid-April, which left catastrophic humanitarian, security and economic effects, and all efforts to get them to cease fire failed.
Moment of Truth
Clementine Nkwita Salami said in a press statement that the statement of commitments adopted by the parties to the conflict on Tuesday represented “a moment of truth for the country.”
She thanked Saudi Arabia, the United States of America and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for their role in facilitating these crucial negotiations.
It particularly welcomed the agreement to establish a humanitarian forum for the Sudan under the leadership of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) representing the humanitarian community and with the participation of parties to the conflict.
She said the forum would facilitate the implementation of commitments made in Jeddah.
Half of Sudan’s population – nearly 25 million people – is in need of humanitarian assistance amid rampant displacement, disease and sexual violence, after nearly seven months of war.
Salami stressed that the concrete commitments agreed by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces today must now be followed by immediate and concrete action.
Removing obstacles
“The obstacles – bureaucratic and other – that prevent us from providing life-saving relief are removed quickly and on a large scale,” she said.
She also called for the UN to obtain credible guarantees from all parties to ensure that relief materials, humanitarian workers and assets move safely across conflict lines. “We simply cannot reach Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan and other war-torn areas of the country without these guarantees.”
Clementine Nkwita Salami stressed that the parties to the conflict have a common obligation to fulfill the commitments made in Jeddah. She concluded by saying:
“For the sake of the millions of civilians in Sudan who do not want this war, and in the spirit of today’s agreement, they must work for a lasting cessation of hostilities. The people of Sudan deserve nothing less.”
Source: Al-Taghyeer
