Top UN official condemns attacks on Khartoum market
September 11, 2023 (NEW YORK/N’DJAMENA) – The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Clemente Nkweta-Salami has condemned the recent attacks on residential areas of Khartoum.
In a tweet on Monday, Nkweta-Salami described the deadly indiscriminate attacks which killed and wounded dozens on Sunday as “completely unacceptable and violate international humanitarian law.”
A drone attack on an open market south of Sudan’s capital killed at least 43 people, activists and a medical group said, as the military and the rival paramilitary group battle for control of the country.
More than 55 others were wounded in the attack in Khartoum’s May neighborhood, where paramilitary forces battling the military were heavily deployed, the Sudan Doctors’ Union said in a statement.
The Sudanese army (SAF) denied it carried out such an attack, saying it never targets civilians.
Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi has called for more international support to help neighbouring Chad cope with the surge in the number of refugees arriving from Sudan.
He made the remarks at the end of his visit to Chad, which hosts over 400,000 refugees from Sudan.
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), most of the refugees in Chad come from Darfur, arriving in desperate conditions, particularly in the border town of Adre, which hosts over 150,000 people.
Another 75,000 refugees were transferred from Adre to two new refugee settlements.
“While humanitarian partners have made considerable efforts to ensure access to basic services such as health, water, sanitation and food, the influx is putting pressure on already stretched resources and communities, with current funding levels insufficient to address both the emergency and long-term development needs of refugees and their hosts,” UNHCR said.
More than 7 million people have been displaced inside and outside Sudan due to the conflict between rival military factions, the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) said.
(ST)