UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th April, 2023) The United Nations will evacuate some of its staff and their families from Sudan amid rising casualties after the ceasefire collapsed, UN Special Representative Volker Perthes said on Monday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier called for an immediate ceasefire after clashes erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RAF). He also expressed disappointment that the UN-brokered humanitarian ceasefire was only "partially" honored on Sunday, according to a UN statement.
"We will have to evacuate some of our staff, non-essential staff (and) relatives," Perthes, who also heads the UN mission in Sudan, told journalists.
Perthes said over 180 people have been killed and 1,800 injured in Sudan as a result of the violence.
Government forces accused the RSF of mutiny and launched airstrikes against their bases. The RSF claimed control of the presidential palace in the Sudanese capital and the airports in Khartoum and Merowe. The national army denied the presidential palace had been taken over. On Saturday, Sudanese Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan issued a decree to dissolve the RSF.
On Sunday, the emergency meeting of the Council of the Arab League took place at the level of permanent representatives upon Egypt and Saudi Arabia's request to discuss the situation in Sudan. The organization demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities and warned against the escalation of violence in the country.
