A statement from the IGAD Secretariat specified that this escalation comes at a time when Khartoum is already facing a serious humanitarian crisis, and a further deterioration of the security situation threatens to exacerbate human suffering and undermine efforts for peace and stability.
The statement urged all parties to immediately cease hostilities and halt all military operations in and around El Obeid.
The Secretariat warned that the continued escalation will further diminish the prospects for a peaceful solution to the conflict and aggravate the humanitarian and security challenges facing the Sudanese people. It called on all parties to guarantee the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law.
IGAD also called for genuine and constructive dialogue without preconditions, reaffirming its long-standing position that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Sudan.
Finally, it expressed solidarity with the people of Sudan and reiterated its call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, demonstrate political responsibility, and put the interests, security, and future of the people above all other considerations.
The day before, Rapid Support Forces attacked North and South Kordofan states in central Sudan with drones, killing at least three people, while the UN and the European Union called for a cessation of hostilities in the region.
abo/arm/mem/nmr
