In recent days, the Emergency Relief Coordinator has visited various parts of the war-torn country and met with leaders, frontline responders and survivors of the crisis.
“We need more UN troops on the ground,” Mr Fletcher said. “The UN is a ship that was not built to stay in port, and this visit is part of this larger initiative to ensure that we are mobilized closer to those we serve..”
Progress of negotiations
Mr Fletcher said he had a “useful” meeting with General Burhan, head of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), focused on securing “unlimited” and “unhindered” humanitarian access.
He also met with representatives of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias in a “difficult” discussion, during which he said “unequivocally” that the UN would expect protection of civilians and insist on accountability and safe crossings for civilians and humanitarian convoys.
“We have, I think, a fairly strong agreement from the authorities [of the military government] in Port Sudan and the RSF on full access and safe passage for our convoys to enter and civilians to exit,” Mr. Fletcher said. “Now let’s see what happens next.”
“Crime scene” in El Fasher
The UN has also made progress in sending teams to El Fasher, Darfur, on the organization’s terms, Fletcher added.
“We are not going to be exploited,” he stressed. “This is a potential crime scene, and we need to make sure we have the right people and that the help is truly neutral and impartial..”
El Fasher was captured by the RSF last month after more than 500 days of siege, leading to the displacement of some 90,000 people since the end of October.
Asked about the death toll in El Fasher, Mr Fletcher said there was no credible answer on the number of deaths so far.
There are hundreds of thousands of people in Tawila, but “a lot of people are clearly not leaving El Fasher,” he said.
“One of the things we want to do when we go there is find out why and see what the conditions are that they’re being held in there.”
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
