NAIROBI, Kenya – The United Nations Security Council is deliberating a new British-led resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan’s protracted conflict, alongside urgent measures to ensure unhindered humanitarian aid delivery across the country’s volatile frontlines and borders.
The war, sparked in April 2023 by a power struggle between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has unleashed widespread violence and humanitarian devastation.
The UN reports that nearly half of Sudan’s 50 million citizens face severe food shortages, with famine gripping displacement camps and forcing over 11 million people to flee their homes, including 3 million refugees seeking shelter in neighboring countries.
“This is a dire moment,” said Barbara Woodward, Britain’s UN Ambassador, noting that despite critical humanitarian needs, the rival factions remain focused on fighting rather than alleviating the “famine and suffering facing their country.”
Britain, which currently holds the Security Council’s rotating presidency, has pressed to expedite the resolution’s adoption.
For approval, it will require at least nine affirmative votes without vetoes from any of the Council’s five permanent members: the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, or China.
The draft resolution demands the RSF immediately halt its offensives across Sudan, particularly in the western region of Darfur, where the UN attributes recent ethnic violence largely to the RSF.
While the RSF has denied targeting civilians, claiming incidents have involved rogue elements, the UN imposed its first sanctions during the current conflict last week, designating two RSF generals.
The draft text emphasizes the urgent need to facilitate “full, safe, rapid, and unhindered” humanitarian access across Sudan’s borders, including through key crossings like the Adre route with Chad.
A temporary three-month permission allowing UN aid to cross from Chad is set to expire in November, adding to the urgency of the Security Council’s discussions.
The ongoing conflict has prompted two previous Security Council resolutions: a Ramadan ceasefire in March and a call for an end to an RSF siege in North Darfur in June.
Both prior resolutions passed with overwhelming support, though Russia abstained each time.
The war, sparked in April 2023 by a power struggle between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has unleashed widespread violence and humanitarian devastation.
The UN reports that nearly half of Sudan’s 50 million citizens face severe food shortages, with famine gripping displacement camps and forcing over 11 million people to flee their homes, including 3 million refugees seeking shelter in neighboring countries.
“This is a dire moment,” said Barbara Woodward, Britain’s UN Ambassador, noting that despite critical humanitarian needs, the rival factions remain focused on fighting rather than alleviating the “famine and suffering facing their country.”
Britain, which currently holds the Security Council’s rotating presidency, has pressed to expedite the resolution’s adoption.
For approval, it will require at least nine affirmative votes without vetoes from any of the Council’s five permanent members: the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, or China.
The draft resolution demands the RSF immediately halt its offensives across Sudan, particularly in the western region of Darfur, where the UN attributes recent ethnic violence largely to the RSF.
While the RSF has denied targeting civilians, claiming incidents have involved rogue elements, the UN imposed its first sanctions during the current conflict last week, designating two RSF generals.
The draft text emphasizes the urgent need to facilitate “full, safe, rapid, and unhindered” humanitarian access across Sudan’s borders, including through key crossings like the Adre route with Chad.
A temporary three-month permission allowing UN aid to cross from Chad is set to expire in November, adding to the urgency of the Security Council’s discussions.
The ongoing conflict has prompted two previous Security Council resolutions: a Ramadan ceasefire in March and a call for an end to an RSF siege in North Darfur in June.
Both prior resolutions passed with overwhelming support, though Russia abstained each time.
