Sudan

The United Nations will continue to deliver desperately needed relief for the Sudanese people, amid soaring needs, acute shortages of essentials and fast-rising prices, UN humanitarians pledged on Tuesday.

The UN Secretary-General on Monday welcomed the temporary relocation of hundreds of staff members and their families from the Sudanese capital Khartoum, amid the continuing intense fighting between rival military factions which has now entered its second week.

EU diplomats and civilians are fleeing Sudan amid concern Russian mercenaries will exploit the Western vacuum.

Thousands of residents fled from Sudan's capital where witnesses reported bodies in the streets and embassies said more than 270 civilians had been killed in battles between the army and paramilitaries by Thursday, with no end in sight.

[…] Dujarric said the Secretary General’s representative in Sudan, Volker Perthes continues to engage with the parties, with key Sudanese leaders and member states in trying to secure an immediate de-escalation of the fighting and obviously working in concert with the Secretary-General on the 24-hour ceasefire.

The European Union ambassador to Sudan was attacked in his home in Khartoum on Monday, the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell said, as fighting between rival generals gripped the nation.

The Sudanese army says a paramilitary group headed by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has mobilised its forces in the capital, Khartoum, and other cities, a move that raises the prospect of confrontation with the armed forces.

Clashes between Arab and non-Arab groups in Sudan’s Darfur region have left at least 24 people dead, dozens of homes burned, and thousands displaced, an official said on Wednesday.

UNITAMS has voiced grave concern about a call by an Islamist for a religious fatwa authorizing him to kill its chief, Volker Perthes, and called for legal action against him.

Sudanese leaders have postponed the signing of an agreement planned for Saturday. The deal was intended to pave the way for a return to democratic government, an official said, blaming the delay on continued disagreement between military factions.