The ALPS Group, which is composed of Saudi Arabia, United States, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, African Union and United Nations, discussed the intensification of the conflict and deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Sudan in a virtual meeting last Friday.
Khartoum: Altaghyeer
The Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group has urged the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to improve and scale up humanitarian access to all parts of Sudan and address civilian protection concerns.
The Group expressed, in a statement on Tuesday, optimism over the African Union’s recent visit to Port Sudan expecting to see follow-through on commitments made during the visit.
The ALPS Group, which is composed of Saudi Arabia, United States, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, African Union and United Nations, held a virtual meeting last Friday and discussed the intensification of the conflict and deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Sudan.
The ALPS Group called on the Transitional Sovereign Council to indefinitely extend its agreement to open Sudan’s Adre border crossing with Chad for humanitarian assistance deliveries, noting that thousands of metric tons of lifesaving humanitarian assistance have passed through Adre.
“SAF and RSF must take steps to ensure the safety and protection of local, frontline humanitarian and health workers and organizations. The conflict parties must de-escalate the fighting and facilitate localized cessations of hostilities that allow freedom of movement, including cross-line movement, for all humanitarian workers and first responders”, the Group said in the statement.
The ALPS Group members applauded the courageous work of local volunteers and response networks. “The nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize of the Sudanese frontline Emergency Response Room was an important signal in light of their critical work.”
The ALPS Group members also urged the warring parties to facilitate the use of Kadugli Airport for humanitarian flights by the UN, NGOs and other humanitarian actors, initially from South Sudan, while technical issues of flying from within Sudan are being fixed.
The Group also called for the establishment of “a deconfliction/notification mechanism to ensure the safety and security of both aircraft and personnel involved in managing air operations.
