In a statement published by its spokesperson, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was dismayed to learn that several drone strikes on December 4 hit a nursery and a hospital in Kalogi, where the wounded were treated.
Echoing these concerns, the head of the United Nations World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that The Kalogi rural hospital was targeted at least three times, killing 114 people, including 63 children..
Call to the blood bank
Survivors of the strikes have been transferred to Abu Jebaiha Hospital in South Kordofan for treatment “and urgent appeals are being made for blood donations and other medical support”, Tedros noted in a statement. statement posted on X.
“It is worrying that paramedics and responders were attacked while trying to transport the injured from the nursery school to the hospital. » » added Tedros.
On the same day as these attacks, a humanitarian convoy was also targeted in North Kordofan state. He was transporting vital supplies to North Darfur when he came under fire, seriously injuring the driver of a United Nations World Food Program vehicle (PAM) truck.
“The Secretary-General deplores this new attack on humanitarian operations at a time of dire need. » » the statement continued.
Suffering on a massive scale
Humanitarian agencies warn that the situation in Sudan remains catastrophic for millions of people caught in heavy fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In the Central Kordofan region in particular, dire conditions are worsening further as vital resources become depleted, while famine conditions have been confirmed in the South Kordofan state capital, Kadugli.
“As fighting intensifies, the horrific human rights violations reported in El Fasher in recent months, as well as reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law, must not be repeated in the Kordofan region. » insisted the spokesperson for the UN chief.
And amid reports of continued foreign involvement in the Sudanese conflict, “the Secretary-General calls on all States with influence over the parties to take immediate action and use their influence to impose an immediate halt to the fighting and stop the flow of arms” that fuels it, his spokesperson’s statement added.
“The Secretary-General renews his call on the parties to agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities and to resume talks to achieve a lasting ceasefire and a comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese-owned political process. The UN stands ready to support real steps to end the fighting in Sudan and chart a path towards lasting peace.”
Plea from the UN human rights chief
The development comes after UN human rights chief Volker Türk said he feared “another wave of atrocities” in Sudan.
Since late October, hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands more have fled airstrikes, bombings and summary executions, he said, amid a massive displacement of civilians involving more than 45,000 people fleeing violence and seeking refuge in or near the Kordofan region.
“Safe passage for those fleeing the horror of famine, death and destruction is essential and a human rights imperative,” the High Commissioner’s office said.
In a call for “urgent diplomatic action,” WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau insisted that greater attention was needed to prevent further atrocities and help reverse the famine.
In Sudan, more than 30 million people are now in need of humanitarian assistance and more than nine million have been internally displaced since fighting began in April 2023 between the SAF and RSF paramilitaries.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
