By William Madouk
The UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi has called on the Sudanese warring parties to stop the raging conflict and seek dialogue to alleviate pressure on innocent civilians.
Mr. Grandi stated his call was a humanitarian one to ease daily pressure on civilians in Sudan.
“Remember those who arrived here are only the minority in fact of all those displaced inside Sudan and continue to be displaced and seeking safety,” said Grandi.
“I think I had the responsibility on behalf of the people who are fleeing… So, my voice on their behalf is a message to the leaders, please! Stop the fighting,” he added.
He also cited that in a meeting with President Salva Kiir, they alluded to the need for a ceasefire and the start of the roundtable negotiation.
“I had a very good discussion with President Salva Kiir on the need for first and foremost a ceasefire while negotiations go on, so that at least the pressure on civilians, which is really enormous at the movement in Khartoum, Darfur, Kordufan, and other places in Sudan, ceases while the complex political negotiations continue,” he explained.
He stressed that UNCHR would continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the war victims and host communities.
Mr. Grandi further thanked the South Sudanese government for being generous and for opening its borders to Sudanese refugees and nationals of third countries as war raged in Sudan.
“You see how important it is that the borders remain open for the people that flee war and that hospitality remains strong among the host communities,” he noted.
According to him, the UNHCR and the humanitarian agencies would continue to engage in massive humanitarian operations to help both war escapees and the host communities.
“In Aweil, the representative of the South Sudanese community and authorities told me they agreed rather to give a large plot of land to the new arrival so that they can quickly move from being supported by humanitarian assistance to most self-reliance. And this is a very good move,” Grandi lauded.
Since April 15, the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamadan Daglo, former number two in the military, have been at war.
Due to the general chaos, the death toll is widely underestimated at 5,000, and the UN has counted more than 4.6 million displaced people and refugees.
Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, jetted to Egypt on Tuesday for his first trip abroad in four months of war against paramilitaries, according to his office announcement.
According to a statement, Al-Burhan would hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi “on the latest developments in Sudan and bilateral relations between the two countries according to the Sovereignty Council, the country’s highest authority.
He was accompanied by the head of Sudanese intelligence, Ahmad Ibrahim Muffadal, and the interim foreign minister, Ali al-Sadeq.