The unremitting violence in Sudan, raging for 18 months, is poised to intensify, worsening already alarming levels of human rights violations, food insecurity and displacement, the Security Council heard at a high-level briefing on the situation in the country, as senior United Nations officials renewed their calls for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access and renewed efforts towards a negotiated settlement.
Over the last two weeks, the situation in the country has been marked by some of the most extreme violence since the start of the conflict, said Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, describing a wave of attacks perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces in eastern Al-Jazirah State, in which a large number of civilians were killed, and even more lost their homes and were forced to flee. "We are receiving reports of horrific violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including sexual violence committed predominantly against women and girls," she said, condemning the Rapid Support Forces' continued attacks against civilians, and the Sudanese Armed Forces' indiscriminate air strikes in populated areas, including the Khartoum area.
"Let me stress that both warring parties bear responsibility for this violence," she said, underlining the need for an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated political solution. "However, both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces seem convinced they can prevail on the battlefield," she stated, noting that, as the rainy season ends, both parties are escalating military operations, recruiting new fighters and intensifying attacks. "This is possible thanks to considerable external support, including a steady flow of weapons into the country," she emphasized, adding: "To put it bluntly, certain purported allies of the parties are enabling the slaughter in Sudan. This is unconscionable, it is illegal and it must end."
Commending the efforts of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), among others, to restore an inclusive Sudanese political dialogue, she outlined the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, to forge progress on the protection of civilians, spotlighting an upcoming round of "proximity talks" in Sudan and the region. Stressing the need to operationalize the recommendations in the Secretary-General's recent report on the protection of civilians in Sudan, she said, "to that end, I welcome the efforts to advance a new resolution on this matter."
"There are no signs of respite" in the brutal violence faced by the Sudanese people, said Ramesh Rajasingham, Director of Coordination, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, warning of troubling projections that, in fact, suggest the conflict is poised to escalate yet further. Citing recent reports of mass killings and horrific sexual violence in Al-Jazirah State - "a sickening hallmark of this conflict", he observed that women and girls continue to be at the centre of horrendous suffering, with displacement and hunger putting them at increased risk of gender-based violence and sexual violence and abuse.
"Civilians continue to flee for their lives both within Sudan and across its borders, in what is now the world's largest displacement crisis," he continued, pointing out that more than 11 million people have been displaced since April 2023. The conflict has also unleashed a severe hunger crisis, he said, citing an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification in June finding that more than 750,000 people were facing the very highest levels of food insecurity and famine conditions. In Zamzam displacement camp, where famine conditions were confirmed in July, worsening malnutrition threatened the lives of thousands of children, while food insecurity was spreading, with reports of alarming levels of hunger in South Kordofan. Warning of the threats of hunger, malnutrition and disease, he stressed: "I just cannot put strongly enough how serious this situation is." In that context, he underlined the need for all available routes, including Adre crossing, to remain open for humanitarian supplies and personnel, and for inter-agency hubs to be re-established in key areas.
"I am speaking to you with agony and urgency," Niemat Ahmadi, Founder and President of Darfur Women Action Group, told the Council, describing "scorched earth tactics" deployed by the Rapid Support Forces in several regions, including El Fasher and Al-Jazirah , with reports of mass killings, indiscriminate shelling of civilians and shocking reports that more than 130 women committed mass suicide as an escape from further sexual violence. Citing warnings by experts of impending mass atrocities and the real risk of genocide in El Fasher, she drew attention to "serious shortcomings" in the Secretary-General's recent report on civilian protection options in the Sudan, in particular, its observation that peacekeeping deployment will not be successful without peace to keep. "I beg to differ," she emphasized, adding that UN civilian protection forces become necessary to create an enabling environment for peace, when warring parties are unwilling to do so.
The support of oil-rich regional and international actors turned the Janjaweed, once on camels and horses, into uniformed militias equipped with advanced weaponry, she said, calling on the Council to authorize and deploy UN forces to protect civilians; pressure the warring parties to ensure humanitarian access; pursue accountability measures, including on the conflict's enablers; impose targeted sanctions; and to expand the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court to include crimes committed across Sudan.
In the ensuing debate, Council members were near-unanimous in calling for an immediate ceasefire and for civilian protection to be prioritized. Among them was Ray Collins, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom, Council President for November, who spoke in his national capacity to underscore that the most effective way to protect civilians is an immediate cessation of hostilities. Notwithstanding the Secretary-General's assessment that conditions do not currently exist for the effective deployment of a UN force to protect civilians in Sudan, he said: "We must keep this under review but also remember that the deployment of UN forces is only one lever amongst many."
The parties must agree on a ceasefire without further delay, concurred Algeria's representative, who spoke also for Guyana, Mozambique and Sierra Leone. Calling for political will to be nurtured through confidence-building initiatives, he said that a second round of the proximity talks, that took place in July in Geneva, could be a useful framework to build confidence between the parties.
Similarly, the delegate of the United States said, "every one of us must continue to press the parties to return to the negotiating table", adding that all countries must cease providing military support to the belligerents. She also joined several other speakers in calling for a compliance monitoring and verification mechanism, following a broader cessation of hostilities agreement, to ensure that international humanitarian law obligations and Jeddah Declaration commitments are respected and implemented on the ground.
France's delegate, also voicing support for the establishment of a monitoring and verification mechanism, condemned the attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces against civilians in Al-Jazirah in recent weeks, as well as all attacks against civilian targets. He commended the recent sanctioning of two Rapid Support Forces generals by the Council and called on the warring parties to be clear-minded and embrace reason, as no military victory is possible in this conflict.
Japan's representative also welcomed the designation of two Rapid Support Forces generals in its sanctions list. External interference fomenting the conflict must stop immediately, he said, reminding Member States and the parties concerned of the obligations spelled out in the arms embargo and that violations may lead to designation for targeted measures.
The Republic of Korea's representative was among several speakers voicing concern over external interference driven by the interests of regional and international actors, observing that it must immediately cease to end hostilities in the country. Noting Sudanese warring parties' ongoing refusal to participate faithfully in direct negotiations for any ceasefire agreement, he urged regional and international actors who can "influence the strategic calculations" of both Sudanese warring parties to work together "to find a way to change the landscape of the conflict". He also underlined the need to keep Adre crossing open, a point echoed by the delegates of Ecuador and Slovenia, with the latter stressing: "Food must not be weaponized; it must never be used to deepen suffering of civilians."
Switzerland's representative called for the humanitarian situation to be improved, given the "monumental" scale of needs. In that context, she called on all parties to guarantee rapid, safe, unhindered and sustainable access across borders and front lines.
Malta's delegate voiced alarm over the increase of 480 per cent in violations and abuses against children, urging the parties to end and prevent all grave violations against children, including the recruitment and use in hostilities, killing and maiming, sexual violence and abduction. The lives of millions of Sudanese are at stake, he said, warning of a growing risk of genocide and other atrocity crimes.
For her part, the representative of the Russian Federation said that it is currently not appropriate to push third-party negotiations formats that exclude the Government or talk about the UN presence or African peacekeepers, recognizing the Sovereign Council as a supreme authority. While the humanitarian situation is dire, the Government is taking necessary steps to ensure the provision of aid, she observed, stressing that human agencies must work in conjunction with the Government. "It is premature to talk about the threat of imminent famine; there is food in the country," she added, noting that the question is how to get it to the areas under the Rapid Support Forces' control.
China's representative, also stressing that joint efforts must be made together with Khartoum to ensure the provisioning of humanitarian aid, welcomed the Government's actions towards facilitating humanitarian access and keeping the crossings open. He called on both parties to "put the people first" and, through dialogue, find a political solution, noting that any imposed proposals out of "selfish political interest" will only worsen the turmoil.
Rounding out the meeting, Sudan's representative, describing the conflict as a war of aggression waged by terrorists and their regional allies supplying weapons and political support, underscored the urgent need for a national mechanism to protect civilians, amid brutal attacks by the Rapid Support Forces militia, including systematic retaliatory attacks carried out in Al-Jazirah State in response to the defection of a Rapid Support Forces leader to the Sudanese Armed Forces. Decrying the killing of civilians and looting and displacement of hundreds of villages, he called on the United Arab Emirates to stop their supply of weapons and called on the Council to designate the Rapid Support Forces as an ethno-supremacist terrorist group.
He went on to highlight his Government's cooperation with ongoing diplomatic efforts, including those of the African Union and IGAD, and its efforts to facilitate aid delivery. However, he reiterated his concern over the entry through Adre crossing of trucks bearing weapons, artillery and mercenaries, calling on humanitarian agencies and the UN to prevent the misuse of the crossing by militia. Further, he called for the operationalization of a mechanism to implement the Jeddah Declaration and for a multi-stakeholder civilian protection plan based on the provision of technical support, not external interference.
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