LONDON: Violence in Sudan鈥檚 Darfur region shows 鈥渢he hallmarks of ethnic cleansing and may amount to crimes against humanity,鈥� UK foreign minister David Lammy said.
Lammy called on the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to 鈥渄e-escalate urgently鈥� and said in a statement issued late Thursday that Britain would continue to 鈥渦se all tools available to us to hold those responsible for atrocities to account.鈥�
Paramilitary shelling of the besieged city of El-Fasher, the state capital of North Darfur, has killed more than 30 civilians and wounded dozens more, activists said on Monday.
El-Fasher is the last major city in the vast Darfur region that still remains in army control.
Lammy said that reports of the violence in and around El-Fasher were 鈥渁ppalling.鈥�
鈥淟ast week, the UK gathered the international community in London to call for an end to the suffering of the Sudanese people.
鈥淵et some of the violence in Darfur has shown the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing and may amount to crimes against humanity,鈥� he said.
He called on the RSF to 鈥渉alt its siege of El-Fasher,鈥� adding that 鈥渢he warring parties have a responsibility to end this suffering.鈥�
Lammy also urged the Sudanese Armed Forces to allow safe passage for civilians to reach safety.
International aid agencies have long warned that a full-scale RSF assault on El-Fasher could lead to devastating urban warfare and a new wave of mass displacement.
UNICEF has described the situation as 鈥渉ell on earth鈥� for at least 825,000 children trapped in and around El-Fasher.