Sudan's war has killed at least 20,000 people, says WHO chief Ghebreyesus

More than 16 months of war in Sudan has killed more than 20,000 people, a senior United Nations official said on Sunday, a grim figure amid a devastating conflict that has wrecked the northeastern African country.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organisation, gave the tally at a news conference in Sudan's Red Sea city of Port Sudan, which serves as the seat of the internationally recognised, military-backed government. He said the death toll could be much higher.

Sudan is suffering through a perfect storm of crisis, Tedros said as he wrapped up his two-day visit to Sudan. The scale of the emergency is shocking, as is the insufficient action being taken to curtail the conflict.

Sudan was plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the military and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open warfare across the country.

The conflict has turned the capital, Khartoum, and other urban areas into ..