Clementine Salami: I call on the armed forces, the Rapid Support Forces and all armed parties involved in the armed conflict to respect international humanitarian law

September 14, 2023(PEN) – The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkwita Salami, expressed in a statement yesterday her alarm at the killing of dozens of civilians in an attack on a market in southern Khartoum on Sunday, September 10, 2023. Dozens more were injured, adding that this incident is the latest example of the daily atrocities that civilians in Sudan continue to face, especially in densely populated areas.

Clementine Salami said that four months ago, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces signed the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to the Protection of Civilians in Sudan. The first commitment set out in that document states that the parties agree that the interests and well-being of the Sudanese people are their top priority and affirmed their commitment to ensuring the protection of civilians at all times.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the Sudan added that the continued killing of civilians in Khartoum, Nyala, El Fasher and other areas underscored the fact that the parties to this conflict are not fulfilling the commitments they signed on 11 May or the basic rules of international law on which they are based. This includes the obligation to take all feasible precautions to avoid and minimize harm to civilians and to refrain from any disproportionate attack.

"I call on the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces and all armed actors involved in the armed conflict to respect international humanitarian law and take immediate steps to protect civilians. The people of Sudan have already suffered too much."

The conflict in Sudan since April 15 between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces has killed more than 5,000 people and displaced millions, according to United Nations reports.