UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council on Friday called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan for a month Ramadan, adopting a resolution drafted by Britain with 14 votes in favor, with Russia abstaining.
The resolution calls on all parties to ensure the removal of any impediments and the full and speedy, safe and unhindered access of humanitarian assistance, including across borders and across lines of contact, and to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.
These include the protection of civilians and civilian objects, and commitments under the Declaration of Commitment to Protect Civilians in Sudan, known as the Jeddah Declaration.
The resolution encourages the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, to use his good offices with the parties and neighbouring States to complement and coordinate regional peace efforts.
On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to “all parties in Sudan to respect the values of Ramadan through a cessation of hostilities on the occasion of the month of Ramadan.”
“The cessation of hostilities must permanently silence weapons across the country and chart a steady path towards lasting peace for the Sudanese people,” Guterres said, warning of the humanitarian crisis of “enormous proportions” and looming famine.
“Strong message”
Following the adoption of Resolution 2724, James Karaoke, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, said the resolution sends a strong message to the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that an immediate cessation of hostilities must be agreed within Ramadan. He urged both sides to work to respond to the unified international call for peace, silence the guns, build confidence and seek to resolve the conflict through dialogue.
He expressed concern about the grave humanitarian situation in Sudan, support for UN agencies and the humanitarian community and stressed the need to ensure urgent, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for those in need. He welcomed all mediation efforts to help end this brutal conflict.
“The role of the international community”
Anna Evstigneva, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, explained the abstention in the vote on the draft resolution, saying that her country has repeatedly called on the Sudanese parties to cease hostilities, stressing that this is the way to solve all the problems facing Sudan and reach a political settlement.
It was the Sudanese parties that bore the primary responsibility for the situation in her country and must decide its future. It was the responsibility of representatives of the international community, including members of the Security Council, to facilitate that and not to impose their rules and principles on sovereign States.
Fighting since April 15, 2023, between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the former second-in-command of military power, has killed thousands of Sudanese and displaced nearly eight million others.
U.N. humanitarian coordinator Martin Griffiths said Friday that whether a ceasefire is reached or not, it is necessary to improve humanitarian delivery, denouncing “extraordinary delivery problems”. He called on the parties to return to the negotiating table to discuss the issue.
Griffiths said the conflict has so far displaced 8.3 million people, 1.7 million of whom have fled the country.
Half of the population of 50 million people need humanitarian assistance, and “just under 18 million people are on the road to famine,” “an increase of 10 million people compared to the same period last year,” Griffiths said.
He stressed that in order to prevent the situation from deteriorating further, more nutrients, as well as seeds, must be brought in to plant them for the next season.
“We don’t have money,” he said, lamenting the lack of international attention to the crisis in Sudan.
The UN’s Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan in 2024 is worth $2.7 billion, but is only 4 percent funded.
Al-Yurae – United Nations – (Reuters) – (AFP)
