After villages razed in Sudan, U.S. calls for immediate end to attacks in North Darfur

April 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of State on Wednesday called for an immediate cessation of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and breakaway Rapid Support Forces that endangers millions in Sudan.

"We are alarmed by indications of an imminent offensive by the Rapid Support Forces and its affiliated militias," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Wednesday in a press statement.

"An offensive against El Fasher city would subject civilians to extreme danger," Miller said, "including the hundreds of thousands of displaced persons who have taken refuge there."

He said U.S. leaders are "deeply troubled" by "credible reports" that paramilitary rapid support forces and affiliated militias in Sudan "have razed multiple villages west of El Fasher."

Miller's statements echo a prior warning by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who in an April 13 statement said an "imminent" attack on El Fasher "would be devastating for civilians in the city and could lead to an expansion of the conflict along intercommunal lines across the five Darfur states."

"El Fasher is a humanitarian hub for the United Nations that ensures life-saving assistance is distributed across the five Darfur states in accordance with needs," Guterres said.

He called for an immediate cease-fire and for the warring parties to abide "international humanitarian law and human rights law to protect civilians and facilitate full and unrestricted humanitarian access to all areas in need."

Escalated fighting in Sudan over the past year displaced more than 8 million people and placed nearly 25 million people in Sudan in need of aid, according to the U.S. State Department.

Miller on March 21 announced a $47 million humanitarian assistance package for Sudan and bordering nations that provides food, water and sanitation facilities, plus shelter and medical services, including mental health support.