Statement by Minister Tvinnereim on attacks against civilians in Sudan

The reports of retaliatory and ethnically based attacks on civilians in al- Jazira state in Sudan are shocking. The local population in al-jazira state has been through repeated waves of conflict and suffering and must be protected from further violence.

I am also deeply disturbed by reports of atrocities in other parts of the country, including reports on use of chemical weapons. It is illegal and reprehensible to retaliate against civilian populations or infrastructure.

I strongly denounce any form of violence against civilians and yet again call upon the parties to the conflict in Sudan to comply with international humanitarian law and with their commitment to the Jeddah Declaration.