BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for accountability for countries supplying weapons to the warring parties in Sudan when those weapons are used to attack civilians.
Speaking to reporters ahead of next week’s annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in New York, Guterres described the situation in Sudan as “absolutely horrible” and warned of the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
“What is happening in Sudan is absolutely horrible. The humanitarian situation in Sudan is devastating. The level of suffering of the Sudanese people is intolerable,” Guterres said.
Sudan’s conflict erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The fighting has since displaced more than 14 million people and developed into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
Guterres said external actors were contributing to the continuation of the conflict by supporting the warring sides.
“It is true that the conflict is fueled by a number of countries from the outside,” he said.
The UN chief argued that countries providing weapons to parties involved in the conflict should face accountability when those weapons are extensively used against civilians.
His remarks follow findings by a UN fact-finding mission earlier this month that foreign weapons, military technology, fighters and logistical networks are helping sustain the conflict in Sudan.
According to the UN mission, such external assistance has also expanded the ability of the warring parties to use drones to strike civilian areas located far from the main front lines.
