At an emergency meeting held at the Security Council, on the heels of reported mass casualty incidents in villages in eastern Sudan, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres voiced alarm over the "utter humanitarian catastrophe" engulfing the country, underscoring the urgent need for "decisive action", including an immediate cessation of hostilities and unfettered humanitarian access.
"Eighteen months after brutal fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, suffering is growing by the day, with almost 25 million people in need of humanitarian assistance," warned the Secretary-General. Painting a grim picture of the "nightmare of violence" gripping the country, with "thousands of civilians killed, and countless others facing unspeakable atrocities, including widespread reports of rape and sexual assault", he reported on "shocking reports" in recent days of mass killings and sexual violence in villages of Al Jazirah state in the east.
The Sudanese people are enduring a "nightmare of hunger", with more than 750,000 people suffering from catastrophic food insecurity, as famine conditions take hold in the camps for the internally displaced in North Darfur, amid the outbreak of a fast spreading "nightmare of disease", including cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles and rubella, he continued. This is compounded by a "nightmare of collapsed infrastructure", through supply routes, transportation, agricultural production, water and sanitation systems grinding to a halt, he said, pointing out that the country is experiencing the largest displacement crisis in the world, with 11 million Sudanese fleeing since April 2023, more than 3 million into neighbouring countries.
Voicing alarm over the "nightmare of mass ethnic violence" following the dramatic escalation of fighting in El Fasher - the capital of North Darfur state, under siege since May - he observed that, contrary to calls to end the fighting, tensions were escalating, with outside powers fuelling the fire. This risked destabilizing the entire region, he said, calling for action on the ground to protect civilians in Sudan, in line with Council resolution 2736 (2024).
In that context, he outlined key priorities that diplomatic efforts are aiming to achieve, starting with both sides agreeing to an immediate cessation of hostilities, laying the ground for a comprehensive ceasefire. His Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, is working tirelessly to intensify diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to an end and improve humanitarian access, implementing the commitments in the Jeddah Declaration, he added, pointing to his engagements in Geneva and through regional partners such as the African Union. He also underscored the need for civilians to be protected, voicing horror at reported attacks by the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher, as well as attacks and civilian casualties attributed to the Sudanese Armed Forces in Khartoum.
He went on to underscore the need for monitoring and accountability for serious violations of international law, and for a cessation of direct and indirect flow of weapons and ammunition into the country. Responding to calls for "an impartial force" to help protect Sudanese civilians, due to the "gravity and urgency of the situation", he stated that, although conditions did not exist for the deployment of a UN force, his Office was ready to discuss a range of operational modalities to respond to challenges on the ground. Underlining the need for immediate, safe and unfettered humanitarian access through all possible routes, he urged the parties to allow in more life-saving aid, as well as called for more flexible funding in response to the $2.7 billion humanitarian appeal for the country, which is only 56 per cent funded.
"Youth activists have witnessed unimaginable horrors," said Hanna Eltigani, Assistant Secretary-General, Youth Citizens Observers Network, which monitors the country's political, security, humanitarian and human rights conditions. Detailing the dangerous conditions and growing humanitarian crisis facing fellow Sudanese, she said that "children survive on tree leaves, with many dying from malnutrition and disease", while "women, already marginalized by decades of structural violence, now face sexual abuse, forced marriages and lack of medical care".
She called on the warring parties in Sudan to implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, cease all attacks on critical infrastructure and establish and maintain safe humanitarian corridors for aid delivery. She urged the United Nations, the African Union and others to provide emergency food, medical supplies, and ensure vulnerable civilians' safe passage; advocate for urgent humanitarian funding for internally displaced persons and refugees; and support formal youth representation, especially by women, in peace negotiations and political decision-making processes. She also called on the Council to use diplomatic pressure to halt the use of indiscriminate weapons and impose targeted sanctions and travel bans on individuals responsible for human rights abuses within the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces.
In the ensuing discussion, speakers voiced alarm over the suffering caused during the brutal conflict, with many Council members, including the United Kingdom, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated international action. He was joined by the representative of Algeria, also speaking on behalf of Guyana, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, who declared, "Be it local or national, a ceasefire is imperative." Voicing dismay at the warring parties' disregard for the Council's calls for a peaceful solution, he called for the public condemnation of foreign interference and underscored the need for accountability.
On that point, Japan's representative underscored the importance of monitoring, reporting and collecting evidence, and documenting violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, voicing support for the important work of the independent international fact-finding mission for the Sudan. The flow of weapons and ammunition into Sudan must cease immediately, and those violating the arms embargo may be designated for targeted measures, he added.
The representative of the Republic of Korea concurred, calling on the Council to address flagrant violations of the arms embargo, adding: "Reports indicate an alarming increase in the number of foreign actors facilitating the flow of weapons to warring parties." The Council should also support strengthening the monitoring and reporting of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, he said, welcoming the extension of the mandate of the independent international fact-finding mission for the Sudan.
France's delegate said it is imperative to lift the siege of El Fasher, citing resolution 2736 (2024). Calling on all Member States to refrain from arming, financing or logistically supporting the parties to the conflict, he welcomed the unanimous renewal of the arms embargo and stressed that those who violate it are subject to sanctions.
Similarly, Slovenia's delegate called on the Council to strictly enforce the recently renewed arms embargo and underscored the need for a cessation of hostilities. The warring parties must confront the undeniable truth that there is no military solution to this conflict. The weapons entering Sudan are not fostering peace; they are fuelling war, he added, decrying desperately needed humanitarian aid being "blocked, delayed, restricted and looted" in Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum.
Calling the current inflow of humanitarian aid "a drop in the ocean" compared to the actual needs, the representative of China stressed that humanitarian operations should focus on helping people in dire situations and must not be politicized. China has provided multiple batches of food and medical supplies and launched a poverty alleviation agriculture assistance project, expected to benefit 400,000 people.
Also on the humanitarian situation, the speaker for Ecuador voiced alarm about confirmed levels of famine in the Zamzam camp, and as Co-Chair of the Group of Friends of Action on Conflict and Hunger, pursuant to Council resolution 2417 (2018), condemned the use of hunger as a war tactic. That conduct is prohibited by international humanitarian law, he emphasized, urging the parties to guarantee access for humanitarian aid and the protection of humanitarian personnel.
For her part, the representative of Switzerland, Council President for October, speaking in her national capacity, called for all supply routes, including Adre, to be opened indefinitely, and reported that since the beginning of the conflict her country has provided $100 million to its partners in Sudan and the region. Urging accountability for sexual and gender-based violence and ethnic violence, she said that, alongside the International Criminal Court, the fact-finding mission, with a new mandate, is essential to tackle impunity.
The representative of the United States concurred, calling for the authorization of the opening of Adre crossing to be extended, among other access routes. Recalling that last week Sudan marked the sixtieth anniversary of its October 1964 revolution, she observed that October 2024 is not a "celebration of the democratic rule but a single largest movement of refugees from Sudan into Chad", and called on Member States to support a transition to democratic governance.
However, the representative of the Russian Federation, emphasizing that the Supreme Sovereign Council is the highest-ranking legitimate State authority in Sudan, noted that the decision to extend the work of Adre checkpoint in November is up to the Government. It is, therefore, inappropriate to put pressure on the Sudanese side, he said, while underscoring the importance of resuming inclusive dialogue.
Malta's delegate spotlighted the plight of children, at risk of recruitment and use by armed actors and called for an end to all grave violations against them. Around 19 million children are currently out of school and 5 million children under the age of 5 are acutely malnourished, she added.
Rounding out the meeting, Sudan's representative, responding to concerns, assured Council members that his country intended to adhere to the democratic track. Political allies and regional backers arming the Rapid Support Forces are violating the concept of civilian protection, as they are fighting civilians and obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid, he said, underscoring that "Stopping the war hinges on stopping the mercenaries and other militias from coming from Sahel countries, and on stopping arms shipments coming from the evil regional sponsor." The ongoing conflict is an aggression supported by external actors, and any alternative narrative that claims it is due to two parties will lead to an impasse. In that context, he stated that his country's armed forces are fighting mercenaries seeking to systematically destroy State institutions, and establish a tribal State, an aim that most of the country's tribes oppose.
Outlining recent developments in the east, he said the Rapid Support Forces had taken a "revengeful" approach against defenceless civilians, executing 250 of them, looting properties and perpetrating sexual violence and torture. On humanitarian aid, he stressed his Government's commitment to facilitating deliveries, even where the Rapid Support Forces are present, pointing to the opening of seven airports and 10 border crossings - including the Adre crossing, which it opened for three months. However, aid is being delivered without knowing who is providing it and who is receiving it, he declared. Citing security threats, he called for a joint mechanism to monitor such deliveries, pointing to UN staff's involvement in irregularities and the entry of trucks with advanced weaponry.
