Fighting in Sudan Needs to Stop Now, UN Secretary-General Says

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in Kenya the fighting in Sudan needs to stop now, before more people die and the conflict becomes a regional one.

During a visit to Kenya on Wednesday, Guterres called on the warring parties in Sudan to put the interests of the Sudanese people first. 

"The Sudanese are facing a humanitarian catastrophe, hospitals destroyed, humanitarian warehouses looted, million facing food insecurity," he said.

For that reason, he said, both Sudanese generals need to put an end to the more than two weeks of fighting. 

"The fighting needs to stop and to stop now before more people die and this conflict explodes into an all-out war that could affect the regions for years to come," Guterres said.

South Sudan brokered a seven-day cease-fire between Sudanese Army Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. There are no indications that the new cease-fire will work when previous cease-fires have seen fighting continue.

Guterres told reporters the United Nations is ready to help the Sudanese people.

"The [U.N.] emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths is now in Sudan to help ensure the continued flow of humanitarian assistance," he said.

The secretary-general will attend a state dinner Wednesday hosted by Kenyan President William Ruto, whose leadership and other progress in the region was lauded at Wednesday's press briefing. 

"The recent cease-fire in Libya and the peace agreement in the Central African Republic are a cause for optimism," Guterres said. "I salute Kenya's leadership role in the peace processes in the Democratic Republic of Congo."

The U.N. chief will travel to Bujumbura, Burundi, later in the week to discuss peace and security in the region, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.