UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed his concerns over reports of widespread bloodshed in Sudan’s Darfur area.

According to his spokesperson, Mr. Guterres has called on all armed parties to halt fighting and commit to a long-term suspension of hostilities.

With approximately 9 million people in Darfur in desperate need of humanitarian relief and safety, he emphasized the importance of putting an end to looting that has ravaged the region and expanding access so that aid can reach those in greatest need.

“He is highly worried about the increasing ethnic dimension of the violence, as well as by reports of sexual violence,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson of the UN boss said.

“With nearly nine million people now urgently requiring humanitarian aid and protection in Darfur, he stresses the need for an end to looting and widened access so aid can reach those who most need it.

Corroborating his view, UN’s head of mission for Sudan, Volker Perthes, stressed that the assaults may have been committed by Arab militia and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In the meantime, Saudi Arabia has stated that it will co-chair a summit next week on the humanitarian response to the Sudanese conflict.

Saudi Arabia and the United States have attempted to mediate the eight-week dispute between the army and the RSF.

So far, hundreds of people have been killed while the United Nations estimates indicated that at least 1.5 million Sudanese have fled their homes since the conflict began in April.