UN official: Sudan war claims over 20,000 lives

More than 16 months of war in Sudan have claimed over 20,000 lives, according to a senior United Nations official.

This grim toll highlights the devastating conflict that has ravaged the northeastern African nation, Caliber.Az informs via foreign media.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has shared the figures at a press conference in Port Sudan, the Red Sea city that serves as the seat of the internationally recognised, military-backed government.

He also suggested that the true number of deaths could be significantly higher.

"Sudan is enduring a perfect storm of crises," Ghebreyesus stated at the end of his two-day visit to the country.

"The scale of this emergency is shocking, as is the inadequate response to halt the conflict," he noted.

The country descended into chaos in April 2023, when long-standing tensions between the military and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted into full-scale war.

The fighting has turned the capital, Khartoum, and other cities into battlegrounds, decimating civilian infrastructure and crippling an already struggling healthcare system. Deprived of basic supplies, many hospitals and medical centres have been forced to shut their doors.