The Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday said they are alarmed by the escalating drone attacks that continue to endanger civilians, with a wave of strikes reported across several states in Sudan in recent days.
Stéphane Dujarric, briefing the media in New York, said that earlier on Monday, a drone was reportedly shot down over the Khartoum International Airport, leading to flights being cancelled.
“That airport, as you know, is vital to humanitarian access. In Al Jazirah State, local sources report that five members, including women and children, from the same family were killed on Saturday,” he said. “In White Nile State, a fuel station and tanker were hit near the city of Kosti. And in North Kordofan State, the state television building in the state capital, El Obeid, was damaged.”
“Drone attacks have also intensified in Darfur. Strikes were reported today in West Darfur, while a strike two days earlier in Nyala, South Darfur, injured at least five people and damaged buildings near the offices of humanitarian organizations,” Dujarric added.
He said the insecurity is forcing people to flee their homes.
“Over the past week, more than 2,600 people were displaced in North Kordofan and some 1,000 people in South Kordofan; that’s what the International Organization for Migration is telling us,” he said. “As a reminder, nearly nine million people are currently estimated to be internally displaced within Sudan, while some 4.5 million others have fled to neighboring countries since the start of the war there over three years ago.”
The spokesperson reiterated that parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times and that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected.
“Aid must be able to reach people who need it in a sustained and unhindered manner,” he stressed.
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