UN concerned by reports of imminent attack in Sudan's North Darfur region

The United Nations Security Council on Saturday sounded the alarm over reports of an imminent attack on the last remaining city in Sudan's North Darfur region that is not under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Fighting over the past year between the paramilitary group and the country’s military has seen tens of thousands of people die and more than eight million people displaced across the nation.

As the UN expressed its “deep concern”, calling on the warring parties to take steps to “de-escalate” the situation, local media in Sudan were reporting that a full-scale attack on the city of al-Fashir was already underway.

Humanitarian workers have said the world must act swiftly to prevent a potential genocide in the region, with hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people having sought refuge in the city.

“An attack on the city would have devastating consequences for the civilian population. This escalation of tensions is in an area already on the brink of famine,” a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

The African Union has also expressed alarm at the “deteriorating security and humanitarian situation” in North Darfur.

As the RSF and its allies fought their way through Darfur region’s other federal states, they were accused of a campaign of ethnically driven killings against non-Arab groups.