News- Middle East: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan following reports of ethnically motivated mass killings by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur.

Guterres made the appeal on Friday, warning that civilians are facing “immense, unimaginable suffering” as the conflict escalates in the war-torn Darfur and Kordofan regions.

The plea came days after Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris presented a peace plan to the UN Security Council, advocating for the disarmament of the RSF and a ceasefire monitored by the UN.

However, the RSF rejected the proposal as “wishful thinking.” 

Meanwhile, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that over 200 people, including women and children, were killed in RSF attacks on the towns of Ambro, Abu Qamra, and Sirba in Darfur. 

Citing testimonies from survivors who sought refuge in displacement camps near the Sudan-Chad border, the group said civilians were “deliberately” targeted and killed on an ethnic basis, describing the assaults as a serious violation of international humanitarian and human rights law. 

The RSF has not yet responded to these allegations. 

The latest violence comes as the RSF pushes to seize control of North Darfur, posing a threat to the last escape route for civilians fleeing to Chad. 

Since the conflict erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the army and the RSF, it has resulted in the displacement of over 14 million people, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis and contributing to the spread of disease and famine in parts of Sudan. 

Sudanese authorities have repeatedly said the RSF receives unwavering support from the UAE. Khartoum has filed a case against the UAE at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over "complicity in genocide" through military, financial, and political backing for the RSF.

Source: Press TV