Death toll rises to nearly 300 in Sudan fighting

Nearly 300 people have been killed in Sudan due to ongoing clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the head of the World Health Organisation said yesterday.

"The situation in Sudan is increasingly concerning and heartbreaking. Almost 300 people have died so far and over 3,000 are injured. I condemn all loss of life, especially attacks on civilians and healthcare," Anadolu Agency reported WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (above) as saying on Twitter.

He said the lack of safe access, electricity, food, water, personnel and diminishing medical supplies are making it nearly impossible for many health facilities to function at the exact time when there are thousands injured in need of urgent care.

The WHO chief reiterated his call for all sides to heed the call for a humanitarian pause, which he said would allow those trapped by the fighting to seek refuge.

Civilians would also be able to access food, water and medicine and patients could seek the healthcare they need under the pause, said Ghebreyesus.

"Peace is the only solution," he added.

Fighting raged for the fifth day between the Sudanese army and RSF fighters in the capital Khartoum and its surrounding areas.

While the RSF accused the army of attacking its forces south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons, the military said the paramilitary force was "spreading lies" and declared it a "rebel" group.

- Bernama-Anadolu