Renewed fighting broke out last week in the states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile between the army and a faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.
United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan Clementine Nkweta-Salami said the fighting had reportedly claimed at least 80 lives in South Kordofan state capital Kadugli alone.
"I condemn the reported use of women and children as human shields in Kadugli, the obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the detention of civilians including children," the UN's most senior official in the country said in a statement.
Sudan's army and its main rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, have been at war for control of the country since April 2023, creating a widespread humanitarian crisis.
Hilu's unaffiliated faction of the SPLM-N has clashed with both since the war broke out.
In recent days, the army and the SPLM-N have accused each other of launching attacks and targeting civilians in an attempt to capture territory.
The UN warned the escalating violence would only worsen the already dire humanitarian situation, with millions cut off from life-saving aid.
"The consequences of food insecurity are already being felt in parts of South Kordofan, where families are surviving on dangerously limited food supplies, and malnutrition rates are rising sharply," Thursday's statement said.
Around half a million people are currently on the brink of famine in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.
The UN-backed assessment has already declared famine in parts of the Nuba Mountains, where SPLM-N maintains a foothold.
Across the country, fighting since April 2023 has killed tens of thousands, uprooted 12 million and pushed nearly 26 million people into acute food insecurity.
Kenya urges 'immediate ceasefire' at summit on DRC conflict
Dar Es Salaam (AFP) Feb 8, 2025 -
Kenyan President William Ruto urged all armed forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to cease hostilities as regional leaders met in Tanzania for a peace summit on Saturday.
"We call on all parties to actualise the ceasefire, and specifically on the M23 to halt further advancement and the armed forces of DRC to cease all retaliatory measures," said Ruto, who is current chair of the East African Community.
"An immediate ceasefire is the only way by which we can create necessary conditions for constructive dialogue and implementation of a comprehensive peace agreement," he added.
The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has rapidly seized swathes of territory in the mineral-rich eastern DRC in an offensive that has left thousands dead and displaced vast numbers.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, have both joined the talks in Tanzania, bringing together the eight countries of the East African Community and 16-member South African Development Community.
Suspected jihadist attack kills 32 in Mali
Dakar (AFP) Feb 8, 2025 -
A suspected jihadist attack on a convoy escorted by Malian soldiers and Russia's Wagner mercenaries has killed 32 people in northern Mali, officials said on Saturday.
The attack took place on Friday between the northern cities of Gao and Ansongo, they said.
The death toll was initially put at 10 but soon rose to 32.
"We have more than 30 bodies from the scene," said a hospital source in Gao.
"The jihadists ambushed a civilian convoy escorted by Malian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries," a local official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
"There are civilians and soldiers among the dead."
A medical source said many of the dead and wounded had been transferred to Gao, the main city in northern Mali.
A source from a transport trade union said: "According to a transporter who managed to escape, jihadists ambushed the convoy's escort and opened fire on everyone at random to cause the largest number of victims."
Another local official told AFP: "The Malian soldiers and Wagner (mercenaries) were in around 10 vehicles protecting a convoy of 22 minibuses with civilian passengers, six large buses and eight lorries."
"At least five lorries were destroyed by Islamic State (IS) jihadists."
IS has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Malian army has not officially commented on the reported attack.
"We control the situation on the ground between Ansongo and Gao," a military source said.
The route between Ansongo and Gao has seen several attacks in recent months blamed on jihadists or bandits.
- Gold mine -
Another local official said the civilian victims were mainly foreigners travelling to a gold mine in Intahaka, the main gold mining region in northern Mali.
The country is one of Africa's top gold producers, though production has plunged recently.
Mali has faced serious security problems since 2012 linked to violence both by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and IS and by local criminal gangs.
In January the Malian army said it had arrested a top IS leader and killed several "jihadist" fighters in an operation in the Gao region.
It named the suspect as Abou Hach, a "wanted terrorist long known to the intelligence services".
The impoverished west African country has been plunged into instability by a series of coups since 2012 and has struggled to deal with the security crisis in the north.
Its military rulers have broken ties with former colonial ruler France and turned politically and militarily towards Russia.
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