LOC01:42
22:42 GMT
GENEVA, Oct 27 (KUNA) -- The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Mirjana Spoljaric on Monday called on all parties to the conflict in and around the Sudanese city of El-Fasher to ensure the protection of civilians.
In a statement issued from Geneva Spoljaric emphasized the need to secure unimpeded access to lifesaving humanitarian assistance for those in need and to allow humanitarian workers to safely carry out their duties.
She also stressed that hospitals homes and vital infrastructure must be spared from attack.
Spoljaric further underlined that civilians and all those no longer taking part in the fighting including the captured the injured and the sick must be treated humanely and with respect reiterating that the protection of civilians remains a fundamental principle of international humanitarian law.
She stated that for over two and a half years civilians in El-Fasher have been trapped in a besieged city where they have endured relentless fighting and an extreme deprivation of food medical care and the essentials for survival.
Spoljaric warned that as the fight for control over El-Fasher intensifies thousands are fleeing their homes while many others are unable to leave and live in constant fear of what may come next.
She noted that throughout the conflict in Sudan violence against civilians has repeatedly spiked whenever control shifts between the warring parties stressing that this abhorrent pattern must stop immediately. (end)
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