The special envoy and head of the United Nations mission in Sudan condemned on Tuesday night, addressing the Security Council, that warring parties in the north-east African state “disdain the law of war”, launching attacks on populated areas without regard for fate. of civilians.

“The two warring parties are fighting in defiance of the law and rules of war, attacking densely populated areas, showing little concern for civilians, for hospitals, or even for the vehicles carrying the wounded and sick,” emphasized Volker Pertes.

The 72-hour ceasefire deal announced by the US on Monday between the forces of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de facto leader after an October 2021 military coup, and the former second-in-command of the military junta , of General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, or “Hameti”, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was only partially observed yesterday in Khartoum.

But in the capital the fighting around “strategic locations” not only “continued” but in some cases “intensified”, underlined Mr. Pertes, who spoke from Port Sudan (east), where the UN hastily moved some of its personnel of his mission.

“There is currently no clear indication that either (general) is ready to truly negotiate, which suggests that both believe that military dominance over the other side remains possible.” continued the German diplomat.

This is a “miscalculation,” added the special envoy, who takes over in 2021. “Even if one side wins, Sudan will lose,” he insisted.

The war that broke out in Sudan on April 15 “is causing a humanitarian disaster” and “the citizens are paying the price”, Mr. Pertes stressed.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, describing ten “heartbreaking” days of “violence and chaos”, reiterated his concern about the generalization and spread of the armed conflict.

“The seven countries neighboring Sudan have all been involved during the last decade in conflicts or widespread political unrest,” he recalled.

“The conflict over power in Sudan does not only threaten the future of the country. It lights a spark that could explode beyond its borders, causing enormous suffering for years and setting back development for decades,” Mr. Guterres warned.

The country of 46 million inhabitants with subsoil rich in gold and oil remains one of the poorest in the world.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 460 people have been killed and more than 4,100 injured since the fighting broke out.

The actual death toll is believed to be much higher.

Air raids and artillery barrages continued to be recorded especially in the cities of Bahri and Omdurman.

As food and water supplies run out, there are many reports of home invasions, looting and theft, especially of vehicles.

“We have also received very disturbing information about sexual assaults,” according to Volker Pertes.

At the same time, foreign countries continue operations to hastily remove their nationals and diplomats.

Health services were already under enormous pressure and, as if that wasn’t enough, a warehouse of Red Cross medical supplies was looted, said the representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Sudan, Farid Aiwar. Which means that resupplying health facilities – already facing dire shortages – becomes even more difficult.