The commander of Sudan’s paramilitary at war with the Sudanese army has demanded a change of command from the latter as a precondition to an urgent solution to the Sudan crisis.
In a video posted Friday on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)’s website, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said the paramilitary “can reach an agreement within 72 hours if the command of the Sudanese army has changed.”
At the beginning of the video, Dagalo appears in a military vehicle surrounded by RSF soldiers before he addresses them.
He accused the Sudanese army’s command of working according to instructions from the leaders of the former regime in Sudan.
Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, resulting in over 3,000 deaths and more than 6,000 injuries, according to figures released by the Sudanese Health Ministry.
More than 3 million people have been forced into displacement, inside and outside the country, since the conflict broke out in Sudan, according to UN estimates.
UN humanitarians warned on Thursday that because fighting in Sudan disrupts public health operations, diseases that had been under control before the conflict erupted are now increasing.
“The diseases include malaria, measles, dengue and acute watery diarrhea,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. “As the rainy season begins, these outbreaks are likely to claim more lives unless urgent action is taken to control their spread.”
The office said there are shortages of crucial medicine and medical supplies reported in some states, despite health partners’ efforts.
Health facilities and workers in Sudan continue to be targeted, OCHA said. The World Health Organization reported 53 attacks on health care in Sudan since April, which led to 11 deaths and dozens of injuries.
