The Security Council today extended until 12 March 2026 the mandate of the Panel of Experts tasked with assisting its Sanctions Committee concerning Sudan, requesting a final report on the Panel's findings and recommendations by 13 January 2026.
Adopting resolution 2772 (2025) (to be issued as document S/RES/2772(2025) ) by a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with 2 abstentions (China, Russian Federation), the Council - acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations - also requested the Panel to provide the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning Sudan with an interim report on its activities no later than 12 August.
Further, the Council requested the Panel to provide updates regarding its activities to that Committee every three months, also expressing its intention to review the Panel's mandate and take appropriate action regarding its further extension no later than 12 February 2026. It also encouraged all parties, Member States and international, regional and subregional organizations to ensure continued cooperation with the Panel, as well as the safety of its members.
Speaking after the vote, the representative of the United States - the text's main author - emphasized that the Panel's independent reporting will facilitate both Member States' support for Sudan and "efforts to reach a lasting resolution to a conflict that has caused the world's largest humanitarian crisis". The Panel's reporting provides unique information crucial to stemming the flow of arms and funds, stopping the fighting and supporting a civilian-led political alternative to both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, he added.
Condemning the Rapid Support Forces' recent attack on the Zamzam refugee camp in Darfur, the representative of the United Kingdom similarly underlined the continued importance of the Panel's reporting. While welcoming the renewal of the Panel's mandate, she said that her delegation would have preferred to retain previous language that called on the parties to cease violations of international law and condemned attacks against civilians. She stressed: "It is vital that this Council remain focused on protecting civilians in Sudan, given the violence being committed against so many."
Several Council members expressed regret that their proposal to align the extension of the Panel of Experts' mandate with the sanctions measures imposed on Darfur was not taken on board, noting that the former's mandate extends beyond the latter's expiration in September.
"This misalignment, unique to the sanctions regime in Darfur, must be addressed by the Council," said the representative of Guyana - also speaking for Algeria, Sierra Leone and Somalia. Nevertheless, they voted in favour of the resolution to reaffirm their continued support for the Panel of Experts, she said, expressing concern over escalating violence, arms flows and child recruitment in Sudan.
"These developments reinforce the need for sustained monitoring and reporting by the Panel of Experts to keep the Council informed and engaged." However, conflict resolution requires a range of tools, and sanction measures alone have not been universally effective in restoring international peace and security. "There must be a clear and defined pathway for the eventual lifting of sanctions, with periodic evaluations to ensure they serve their intended purpose without causing unintended consequences," she said.
Pakistan's representative also expressed regret that "another opportunity was missed to align the reporting period of the Panel of Experts with that of the sanctions regime in Darfur", pointing to the author's "inflexibility to accommodate a six-month extension of the Panel with an automatic extension of 12 months". He also voiced concern that the resolution was put to the vote without accommodating the views of all Member States.
Echoing that, the representative of the Russian Federation said that it is "unacceptable" that the Panel has been instructed to draft reports beyond the timeline of the sanctions regime itself. "Even any hints" of extending that regime beyond Darfur is also unacceptable, he stressed, as these measures - introduced 20 years ago - "have not benefitted the Sudanese in any way". He added that the Panel's activities must be impartial, "rather than using the mandate as a battering ram against the interests of the Sudanese people and Government".
The representative of China, Council President for February, then spoke in his national capacity to observe that the misalignment between the renewal cycles for the Panel's mandate and the relevant sanctions regime has existed for some time - not because of the complexity of the issue, but fundamentally a lack of political will. "The solution is quite simple," he said, pointing out that either the Panel's mandate or the sanctions regime itself could be extended, once, for six months.
