The UN Security Council has demanded that Sudanese paramilitary forces end its siege of el-Fasher, as fears continue to mount of a possible genocide. It is the last major urban centre in Darfur that remains in the hands of Sudan’s army.
The army has been engaged in a violent conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for over a year, in a civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions.
The security council has called for “an immediate halt to the fighting” and withdrawal of all troops from the city. The 15-member council on Thursday adopted a drafted by the United Kingdom with 14 votes in favour, while Russia abstained.
In a statement, the council called on the rival forces to “to seek an immediate cessation of hostilities, leading to a sustainable resolution to the conflict, through dialogue”. The resolution called on all parties to let civilians leave and remove all obstacles to humanitarian access.
It expressed serious concerns at the extreme violence, with reports that the RSF are carrying out “ethnically motivated violence” in el-Fasher. The RSF insists it is not involved in any tribal conflict in Darfur.
Barbara Woodward, the UK’s envoy to the UN told the council that “an attack on the city would be catastrophic for the 1.5 million people sheltering in the city”.
“This council has sent a strong signal to the parties to the conflict today. This brutal and unjust conflict needs to end,” she added.
More than 130,000 residents have fled the city due to fighting between April and May, the UN said.
Several attempts to end with war with dialogue have been futile.