A recent Human Rights Watch report expressed concerns about the situation in Sudan as the country faces a humanitarian crisis due to the Army-RSF conflict

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has reaffirmed its “full support for the unity, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Sudan,” as the country grapples with ongoing conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a statement, Qatar rejected “any form of interference in Sudan’s internal affairs” and urged all parties to prioritise the nation’s supreme interest, and “to prevent the country from the risk of division”.

The Gulf state reiterated its “call for inclusive dialogue that paves the way for lasting peace, preserves Sudan’s unity, and fulfills the aspirations of its people for security, stability, and development”.

Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Hind Al Muftah, echoed the calls during her participation in the enhanced interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Sudan.

A power struggle between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in mid-April 2023, leading to infighting that has claimed over 20,000 lives and displaced 14 million people, triggering a humanitarian crisis as millions face the world’s largest hunger crisis.

A report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) detailed that the Sudan Shield Forces, which acts in alignment with the Sudanese military, targeted civilians in an attack on the Tayba Village in the central Jazirah state, killing at least 26 people.

According to HRW, the January 10 attack “constitutes war crimes, and some actions, such as the deliberate killings of civilians, may also amount to potential crimes against humanity”.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said that risks of wide scale deaths from starvation in Sudan were growing.

“Sudan is a powder keg, on the verge of a further explosion into chaos, and at increasing risk of atrocity crimes and mass deaths from famine,” he told the HRC in Geneva. “The danger of escalation has never been higher.”