Thank you President and thank you, Secretary-General, for your sobering update.
Colleagues, the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces bear responsibility for the horrendous situation in Sudan.
Shelling and attacks from both sides in heavily populated, urban areas and across the entire western region of Sudan, continue to kill and terrorise civilians.
The situation for children is particularly unbearable. Four million have been displaced. Over 700,000 will suffer from the deadliest form of malnutrition this year.
Sudanese children have missed a year of school and face the fear of not knowing when they will receive their next meal.
The Sudanese Armed Force's withdrawal of permission for cross-border deliveries of humanitarian aid from Adre in Chad is indefensible.
We call on the Sudanese authorities to honour their commitments to facilitate crossline and other cross-border routes for the delivery of life-saving assistance for the Sudanese people.
They need to remove the red tape and deliberate obstructionism which has prevented meaningful crossline assistance in recent months.
To the people of Sudan, who for nearly a year have been made to witness their country's descent into near collapse: you have not been forgotten.
The situation in Sudan warrants a robust response from this Council and increased attention from the international community.
As we approach the holy month of Ramadan, we echo the Secretary-General's call for an immediate ceasefire and we urge all parties to allow for unhindered cross-border and crossline humanitarian access.
We encourage international partners, including the AU, IGAD and regional states, as well as the UN's Personal Envoy, to prioritise coordination of their efforts to end this conflict, and to reject attempts by the warring parties to pit different mediation tracks against each other.
President, it should not be for the military leadership of both the SAF or RSF to determine the political future of Sudan.
We call on them to give way to a civilian, transitional government that will fully respect the basic human rights of the Sudanese people.
I thank you.
