United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo has warned that 1,000 days of brutal war in Sudan have nearly destroyed Africa’s third-largest country, cautioning that the ongoing conflict risks escalating into a wider regional war threatening stability across the region.
Speaking during a briefing to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Sudan, the senior UN official said fighting continues to expand as the war approaches its fourth year, with shifting front lines reported in North Darfur, North Kordofan, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile states.
Escalating Fighting and Warning Over El Obeid Battle
DiCarlo noted that North Kordofan remains a major conflict hotspot, warning that any ground fighting in El Obeid, the state capital, would have severe consequences and could deal a significant blow to prospects for a ceasefire.
She added that the growing use of long-range drones and aerial strikes by both parties has become a defining feature of the conflict, signaling a dangerous escalation in military tactics.
Referring to the recent Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attack on El Fasher, she stressed that “the time is now to act to prevent such atrocities from recurring elsewhere in the country.”
Rising Concerns Over Regional Spillover
The UN official also warned that the risk of the conflict evolving into a regional war is a matter of grave concern, citing reports of armed group movements across the Sudan–South Sudan border in both directions, a development that could destabilize the wider region.
At the same time, she welcomed growing diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict, particularly progress made under the Quad initiative led by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States to secure a humanitarian truce in Sudan.
“These efforts provide a critical opportunity for urgently needed de-escalation and could pave the way toward a sustainable cessation of hostilities,” she said, urging both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF to engage in the initiative in good faith and without preconditions.
Political Pathway Essential for Sudan’s Future
DiCarlo emphasized that any ceasefire must be anchored in a credible political process leading to an inclusive transition in Sudan, stressing the need for unified international support behind peace efforts.
She further noted that the prolonged and intensified nature of the war is partly driven by external support flowing to the warring parties, underscoring the importance of halting arms transfers into the country.
According to the UN official, unified international messaging and decisive action by the Security Council are now more important than ever.
Civil Society: War Devastating Sudanese Women and Girls
Also addressing the Council, Sudanese civil society representative Hala Alkarib, Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, said that despite repeated warnings and more than 1,000 days of war, the Security Council has failed to take meaningful action.
She stated that all red lines have been crossed, including siege warfare, forced displacement, man-made famine, genocide, and mass rape.
“Every day this war continues, it destroys the lives of Sudanese women and girls and brutally mutilates their bodies,” she warned, adding that civilians will pay the price if atrocities are repeated.
Alkarib stressed that women, regardless of identity, face systematic violence from all parties to the conflict and are targeted based on ethnicity, skin color, poverty, political affiliation, and other factors. Sexual and gender-based violence, she said, has become a defining characteristic of the war.
Widespread Violations Tearing Apart Communities
Alkarib highlighted that cases of sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearance of women in RSF-controlled areas remain severely underreported due to restricted access, systematic communications blackouts, and reprisals against those who speak publicly.
“The horrific sexual violence has not only destroyed lives but torn our communities apart,” she said, pointing to the collapse of Sudan’s healthcare system, which has left survivors without adequate medical care or psychosocial support.
She urged Security Council members to ensure meaningful participation of Sudanese women in all peace efforts and to prevent further atrocities while ensuring Sudan is not forgotten.
Catastrophic Levels of Violence and Malnutrition
Meanwhile, Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), warned of worsening humanitarian conditions across Darfur and Kordofan since the beginning of the year.
She said ongoing clashes around El Obeid are disrupting humanitarian and commercial supply routes, deepening shortages and deprivation, while communities across Darfur continue to face severe hardship.
“For more than 12 million women and girls, this is a crisis within a crisis,” Wosornu said, noting that violence against women and girls has reached catastrophic levels, with demand for life-saving protection and response services rising by 350 percent since the conflict began.
Documented cases of sexual violence have nearly tripled, she added, though actual numbers are likely far higher due to barriers to reporting.
She also reiterated warnings from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification that 4.2 million children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers are now at risk of acute malnutrition.
Humanitarian Workers Risk Their Lives
Wosornu emphasized that humanitarian workers in Sudan continue operating under extremely dangerous conditions. Four separate incidents within ten days resulted in aid workers being killed or injured while distributing life-saving food assistance.
Despite these challenges, humanitarian partners reached 17.6 million people with assistance last year, including nearly one million women and girls who received vital gender-based violence and reproductive health services.
She added that this year’s humanitarian response plan aims to reach more than 20 million people but requires urgent funding to sustain operations.
UN Calls for Immediate International Action
Concluding the briefing, UN officials urged Security Council members to take urgent action in three key areas:
- Use their influence to press all parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians across Sudan.
- Ensure the protection of humanitarian workers and facilitate safe aid delivery.
- Work collectively toward an immediate cessation of hostilities, halt arms flows into Sudan, and push for a comprehensive and lasting peace urgently needed by the Sudanese people.
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