'Apocalyptic situation': UK, Germany and Jordan call for ceasefire in Sudan

LONDON

The foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, and Jordan on Saturday jointly called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, following reports of atrocities and human rights abuses in the country’s Darfur region.

Speaking at a security summit in the Bahraini capital of Manama, the ministers condemned what they described as “horrifying” violence committed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the city of El-Fasher.

The statement comes as the UN warns that the RSF has rampaged through El-Fasher, killing hundreds of civilians and carrying out ethnically targeted attacks.

Officials say more than 450 people were killed in a hospital, and there are reports of mass executions and sexual violence.

The RSF has denied killing people at the hospital. However, satellite images, videos shared on social media, and accounts from those who escaped the city suggest widespread violence and devastation.

At the Manama Dialogue security summit, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the situation as a “humanitarian crisis and devastating conflict” that the international community has failed to address.

“Just as a combination of leadership and international cooperation has made progress in Gaza, it is currently badly failing to deal with the humanitarian crisis and the devastating conflict in Sudan, because the reports from Darfur in recent days have truly horrifying atrocities,” Cooper said.

"Mass executions, starvation, and the devastating use of rape as a weapon of war, with women and children bearing the brunt of the largest humanitarian crisis in the 21st century. For too long, this terrible conflict has been neglected, while suffering has simply increased.

“No amount of aid can resolve a crisis of this magnitude until the guns fall silent,” she added.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul echoed Cooper’s warning, describing the situation in Sudan as “absolutely an apocalyptic situation.”

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Sudan has not received “the attention it deserves,” calling the crisis “of inhumane proportions.”

“We’ve got to stop that,” he said.

Since April 15, 2023, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been locked in a war that numerous regional and international mediations have failed to end. The conflict has killed about 20,000 people and displaced over 15 million as refugees and internally displaced persons, according to UN and local reports.