UN to help coordinate humanitarian operations in Sudan

By Nathan Morley

The United Nations Secretary General is sending a special representative to Sudan to coordinate humanitarian operations, as fighting between rival military factions enters its third week.

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffith says he will explore how to bring immediate aid to the millions of Sudanese people whose lives have been turned upside down.

Earlier, air strikes pounded Khartoum, despite a truce aimed at allowing civilians to flee.

The army said it was attacking the city to flush out its paramilitary rivals, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Since the unrest broke out, it known at least 500 people have died, though the actual number is thought to be significantly higher.

The fighting has closed most hospitals and curtailed water and electricity supplies.