GENEVA, April 22. /TASS/. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is ready to deliver more supplies to Sudanese civilians in need as soon as there is a pause in fighting, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement published on the committee’s website.
"We implore the parties to grant the ICRC immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to assist Sudanese civilians in need. This is not optional - it is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law," the statement reads.
According to Spoljaric, last week, the ICRC "delivered medical supplies for people wounded in fighting to hospitals in Al Fasher and Zalingei, in the western region of Darfur." "Volunteers from the Sudanese Red Crescent Society provide first aid in clinics and hospitals in Khartoum, Merowe and Darfur, but they need supplies. Our urgent priority is to get medical assistance to more hospitals and to work to make repairs to their water and power infrastructure. We are ready to deliver more supplies as soon as there is a pause in the fighting," she pointed out.
According to the ICRC website, the committee has been present in Sudan since 1978. Its work, "in close cooperation with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS), includes supporting hospitals and health facilities with equipment and supplies, working with local water authorities on improving people’s access to clean water, and supporting the authorities who provide rehabilitation services for people with disabilities."
The situation in Sudan has escalated over disagreements between the army’s commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the Sovereign Council, and RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is his deputy in the council. On April 15, clashes erupted near a military base in the cities of Merowa and Khartoum. According to the Sudanese Health Ministry, more than 600 people have died as a result of the fighting. Meanwhile, the Sudan Doctors Committee puts the number of victims at more than 200. According to the committee, over 1,000 have been wounded and more than 3,300 had to flee their homes.