SKY NEWS – UN secretary general Antonio Guterres says the UN is not leaving Sudan – and “we must all do everything within our power” to pull the country “back from the edge of the abyss”.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting in New York, Mr Guterres said the UN “stands with the Sudanese people at this terrible time”.
“The violence must stop”, he said, during his opening remarks at the meeting.
He said the conflict “risks a catastrophic conflagration within Sudan that could engulf the whole region and beyond”.
Mr Guterres also “strongly condemned” the bombing of civilian areas in the country.
The UN chief said he is in constant contact with parties involved in the conflict, adding that he has urged them to de-escalate tensions and “return to the negotiating table”.
Hundreds of UN staff members and their dependents have been evacuated from Khartoum and other locations in Sudan (see our 2.57pm post).
But Mr Guterres said: “Let me be clear, the United Nations is not leaving Sudan.
“Our commitment is to the Sudanese people in support of their wishes for a peaceful and secure future. We stand with them at this terrible time.”
He called on council members to “exert maximum leverage”, with both sides to end the violence and restore order in Sudan.
“We must all do everything within our power to pull Sudan back from the edge of the abyss,” he said.
Evacuation of British diplomats from Sudan ‘nearly collapsed’ – report
Attempts to extract a Sudanese citizen during the evacuation of British diplomats yesterday nearly collapsed the entire operation, it’s being reported.
The Sun’s political editor Harry Cole reports that the issue caused a “significant delay” to take-off of an evacuation plane.
He says the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office attempted to extract a Sudanese citizen who is the dependent of a British national.
A “tense stand off” meant they did not join the delayed flight but were evacuated to safety by “alternative means”, Cole reports.
The mission was delayed by more than an hour due to the issue, he adds, citing Whitehall sources, and and risked the “entire thing collapsing”.
