S/PV.9947 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Egypt, the Sudan and the United Arab Emirates to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Ms. Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, and Ms. Shayna Lewis, Sudan Specialist and Senior Adviser with Preventing and Ending Mass Atrocities. The Security Council will now begin consideration of the item on its agenda. At this meeting, the Council will hear briefings by Ms. Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Ambassador Joonkook Hwang, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, and Ms. Shayna Lewis. I now give the floor to Ms. Pobee. Ms. Pobee: For too long, the conflict in the Sudan has gravely imperilled lives of Sudanese civilians. Security conditions remain dire, marked by shifting front lines, increased and often indiscriminate aerial assaults by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, and continuous attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals. The warring parties appear unrelenting in their resolve to pursue military objectives. The fighting shows no signs of abating. In recent weeks, the focus of the conflict has shifted once more to the Darfur and Kordofan regions. The Kordofans are increasingly emerging as an epicentre of fighting. The warring parties have reportedly exchanged heavy drone strikes and artillery fire on multiple fronts. El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and one of the largest cities in the region, is likely to remain a key flashpoint in the coming weeks. De-escalation is urgently needed. We are particularly worried about the growing use of advanced weaponry, including long-range drones. This has expanded hostilities into previously stable areas of the country. Aerial attacks in populated areas have already caused significant civilian casualties and mass displacement. This trend is likely to intensify through the rainy season as movement on the ground becomes more difficult. The conflict in the Sudan is having far-reaching consequences that extend well beyond its borders. Recent reports of violent clashes at the tri-border zone of the Sudan, Libya and Egypt, involving the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces and forces affiliated with the Libyan National Army, are deeply concerning and mark a serious escalation. Abyei has also seen an increased presence of armed Rapid Support Forces personnel, exacerbating the already fragile security situation in the Abyei Area. The Rapid Support Forces are also present in north-eastern Central African Republic, where they are recruiting. Just days ago, the Security Council condemned a recent attack on peacekeepers from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic by suspected Sudanese armed elements. One peacekeeper was killed, and another one was seriously injured. We cannot afford further regional instability and spillover conflict. Meanwhile, we remain deeply concerned about the situation in El Fasher, which continues to be sieged by the Rapid Support Forces. On 15 June, the Rapid Support Forces launched yet another attack on the city following months of increased mobilization of fighters, including the recruitment of children across Darfur. Entrenched impunity is fuelling those and other gross human rights violations and abuses. All parties to the conflict must be held accountable for their actions. Moreover, the commitments of warring parties made to protect civilians, including in the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan of May 2023, must be translated into concrete action. Last week, the Security Council heard from our humanitarian colleagues about the dire situation. We are pursuing a predictable and time-bound humanitarian pause to facilitate safe humanitarian movements into and out of areas affected by ongoing fighting, beginning with El Fasher, and allow civilians to leave voluntarily and securely. We will continue to urge the parties to make progress on measures that strengthen the protection of civilians without preconditions. Following his swearing-in on 31 May, Prime Minister Idris set about forming a new Government, dismissing the previous cabinet on 1 June. On 19 June, he outlined in a national address the structure of the new Government he is seeking to form, labelling it the Government of Hope. He announced that it would consist of 22 ministries, comprising technocrats selected based on competence and professional expertise, with no political affiliations. Meanwhile, divisions persist within the Tassis Alliance, led by the Rapid Support Forces, over the composition of the planned parallel Government in areas under its control. We encourage all parties to preserve the Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity as a critical element for a sustainable solution to the crisis. In that regard, it is essential to have civilian leadership for the shaping of a political consensus and formulating an inclusive vision for the restoration of a peaceful, civilian-led transition. Since my last briefing (see S/PV.9777), the Personal Envoy of the Secretary- General for the Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, has further intensified his engagements with regional and international actors to help chart a path towards ending the conflict. The Personal Envoy remains in close contact with the warring parties, including in efforts to convene discussions in proximity format on strengthening the protection of civilians. Following his visit to Port Sudan in April, a team led by the Personal Envoy’s Office is poised to travel to Port Sudan to prepare the next steps. The Personal Envoy stands ready to engage the Rapid Support Forces in a similar format in due course. Personal Envoy Lamamra has also spoken to Prime Minister Idris following his appointment. He emphasized the importance of advancing efforts towards an inclusive political resolution and offered to explore issues of mutual concern and cooperation. The Personal Envoy also remains in direct and regular contact with a broad array of civilian groups in recognition of the indispensable role they play in It is clear that Member States’ support and leverage are indispensable to spur meaningful progress on the ground. I urge the Council once again to unite in lending full support to Personal Envoy Lamamra’s efforts and to use its influence with the parties and their external backers to press for a genuine commitment to dialogue and de-escalation. The United Nations is deeply committed to harnessing the collective strength of multilateral organizations in the coordination of mediation efforts. The high- level meeting between the United Nations, the African Union and the League of Arab States in Baghdad on 16 May marked the starting point of closer cooperation between key multilateral players on the Sudan, which will also, moving forward, include the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Yesterday, the fourth Consultative Meeting on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts for the Sudan was hosted by the European Union in Brussels. That marked another important meeting in support of enhanced coordination and strengthened political support. That mechanism brings together multilateral organizations and key Member States working on mediation in the Sudan. We are in a process of finalizing consultations for its fifth edition to be co-organized jointly by the African Union and United Nations in Addis Ababa. As conflict deepens and spreads around the world, it is time to take concrete steps to end the senseless suffering of the Sudanese people. Too many lives have been lost, too much trauma has been inflicted, and the risk of regional conflagration is too great to allow the conflict to fester any longer. I call on the wider international community to work together, for our multilateral partners to join hands and for the Council to lead the way in resolving the conflict in the Sudan.

I now give the floor to Ambassador Hwang. Mr. Hwang: In accordance with paragraph 3 (a) (iv) of resolution 1591 (2005) and the note by the President of the Security Council of 17 March (S/2025/163), I have the honour to brief the Security Council on the work of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, covering the period from 12 December 2024 to today. During that reporting period, the Committee issued its annual report for the year 2024, which is available on the Committee website, and received the final report of the Panel of Experts on the Sudan (see S/2025/239) on 23 December 2024, as well as its third and fourth quarterly updates on 18 February and 14 March, respectively. The Panel’s final report was made publicly available on 17 April. In both the final report and quarterly update, the Panel updated the Committee on the security and humanitarian situation in Darfur, as well as the regional impact of the conflict. During the informal consultations of the Committee, held on 9 April, its members discussed the content of the final report. The Committee continues its consideration of the Panel’s recommendations and follow-up actions. In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to underline that the purpose of the sanctions regime is to contribute to bringing peace in Darfur. The 1591 Committee remains committed to working together with all relevant stakeholders in order to achieve that goal.

I thank Ambassador Hwang for his briefing. I now give the floor to Ms. Lewis. In the Sudan, up to 80 per cent of health facilities are not working in conflict areas and health facilities have been attacked more than 540 times. When staff recaptured the capital in March, many rejoiced that the war was over. But it is not over, not even in Khartoum. I met a young girl of eight years of age at Al Nao Hospital who was shot by a stray bullet that pierced the safety of her home. She spoke to me with pins holding the shattered fragments of her leg in place. Another patient was a child in the intensive care unit who was shot in the abdomen, also by a stray bullet. He had undergone surgery only to develop sepsis and is now sedated on a ventilator with a 40 per cent chance of death. Like so many, those children suffer the consequences of violence that no child should ever have to endure. Many patients at Al Buluk and Al Nao Hospital are children requiring amputations due to playing with unexploded ordnance. More than 15 million children require humanitarian assistance. But they are also being targeted by the belligerents, including through recruitment as child soldiers. UNICEF reported 16 cases of the rape of children under the age of five, including the rape of four one-year-old babies. Those are lives that have been irrevocably changed. Understanding the current situation in the Sudan requires a recognition of deep dichotomies, chief of which is the dichotomy between the inhumanity of armed actors, who wage their war using the bodies of civilians, contrasted against the medics, the community organizers and civil society groups, who show up every day risking their lives to meet the needs of their communities. Ahmed Gasim Hospital in Bahri was previously one of the Sudan’s major cardiac and renal transplant centres before the war. But during the war, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) used the facility as an incinerator. They destroyed the country’s only machine for cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, known as MRI, dug up floors and walls to steal electrical wiring and shot and destroyed machinery that they could not carry, such as the paediatric ventilators, because the RSF wants to deprive children of the ability to breathe. Doctors and midwives across the capital recounted working with severely limited resources, forced to operate and deliver babies by the light of their phones, and facing increased mortality rates due to an inability to sterilize surgical equipment because prolonged power cuts and exhausted generators have cut them off. Medics across the country are defiantly rebuilding among the ruins of war, trying to heal from the RSF’s existential threat on the Sudan’s health infrastructure, but they need international donors to increase funding to address systemic challenges such as critical oxygen shortages, shortages of consumables and a lack of electricity to power the hospitals. The denial by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of the United Nations famine declaration also imperils lives, as it is blocking the operationalization of the global famine response architecture. This is depriving children of necessary life-saving nutritional assistance in a country where more than one in three children are facing acute malnutrition, which is almost double the threshold required for a famine declaration. We know that malnourished children are 11 times more likely to die than well-nourished children. Member States must pressure the Sudanese Armed Forces As advocates, we are told to never be emotional, but I am. I share my rage with so many others who confront the reality of the war in the Sudan. I am enraged because that tide of human suffering can only be stopped by the silencing of weapons. Yet the RSF and SAF remain committed to pursuing a military solution where there is not one to be found. Instead, we continue into the third year of this war, which has caused the largest humanitarian and protection crisis in the world. We should all be incensed that the Sudan humanitarian response plan for 2025 is only 14 per cent funded even though we are over halfway through the year. Global aid cuts are killing Sudanese civilians while threats continue to escalate, especially for women and youth. Services to prevent and address gender-based violence are the second most affected by those funding cuts. Layla, a mother who was detained by the RSF, told the United Nations Population Fund that: “When the officers left, the soldiers would begin raping prisoners. They would take young women out into the yard, and all night long we would hear the screams of girls and women.” Sixty-three per cent of female-led households have engaged in survival sex to access clean water during cholera outbreaks, and the largest outbreaks have been in areas under SAF control. We should all be emotional, and we should use that emotion to drive the wheels of change, to push the belligerents towards the protection of civilians and sustainable peace. We should all be outraged that since I last spoke in the Chamber (see S/PV.9822), barely six months ago, and unequivocally stated that the RSF was attempting to continue its genocide in Darfur, they progressed to the next stage of that campaign by killing hundreds of civilians in Zamzam, the Sudan’s largest camp for displaced persons. More than 400,000 people fled for their lives, but the RSF blocked the most vulnerable from leaving. Mothers who escaped returned to the camp’s borders desperate to find their lost children and were met with only further threats of violence by armed men. Where are their missing children? We should all be furious that the RSF and SAF are only able to continue their war through the support of their respective external backers, such as the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. But we must also recognize the complicity of other countries around the world, including some on the Council, that continue to prioritize Emirati investments over the lives and blood of civilians. While the international community pursues a ceasefire, it must also champion civilian protection in the Sudan. Millions of Sudanese have lacked sustained access to telecommunications networks for over a year and a half. Restored and maintained telecommunications access must be prioritized to ensure civilians’ access to information and mobile banking so that they can purchase food and water, at the bare minimum. The SAF authorities should also release the telecommunications equipment that has been held at Port Sudan airport since October 2024, in demonstration of their lasting commitment to lifting the Sudan’s blackout. But instead of a commitment to protect civilians, the RSF and SAF continue to find new ways of harming them while attempting to garner international political legitimacy. The genocidal RSF has now established a parallel Government, while figures from former President Omer Al-Bashir’s banned National Congress Party have reclaimed positions of power in the east of the country. We should be sickened that only six days ago, a suspected SAF drone targeted a hospital in West Kordofan, killing more than 40 people and destroying life-saving dialysis machines that were delivered only a week ago. Across Darfur, SAF has resorted to dropping incendiary barrel bombs on civilians, killing hundreds at markets or worshipping in mosques. All violations against civilians must stop immediately. It is the duty of the Council to do more than bear witness to war; it must take action. Resolutions are just pieces of paper without the political will to implement them. We must do more to stand with the pro-peace, anti-war movement in the Sudan, to amplify Sudanese voices for peace and to ensure that perpetrators of atrocity crimes face accountability and an end to the decades of impunity that the Sudan’s armed elite has subsisted on. This war is an attempt to destroy the peaceful, democratic revolution led by Sudanese youth, particularly young Sudanese women. Yet there is an audacity of spirit that cannot be crushed. Their vision of peace, justice and freedom is not a myth. It survives in the streets of the Sudan. It is alive in the doctors working in Government hospitals to provide treatment for free to their communities, despite not having received salaries for over two years. It is alive in the multitude of grass-roots initiatives, from the emergency response rooms to community kitchens and mutual aid groups addressing the spiralling humanitarian crisis. And it is alive in the little girl whose bones will heal in a few weeks, who dreams of being safe in her home, of being able to return to school and of living in peace. The Sudan cries hope — if we only dare to open our eyes and hearts to hear.

I thank Ms. Lewis for her briefing. I shall now give the floor to those Council members who wish to make statements.

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Pobee, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea and Ms. Lewis for their briefings today. I will make three points. First, civilians, especially women and girls, are bearing the brunt of this devastating conflict. They deserve action and accountability. Last week, a hospital was attacked in West Kordofan, reportedly killing 40 civilians. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan recently highlighted increasing sexual and gender-based violence, and the Secretary-General’s latest report on children and armed conflict (S/2025/247) documents appalling cases of abduction, recruitment and violence against children. Such violations need to be investigated, and perpetrators held accountable. The United Kingdom calls on both parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, in line with international law and the commitments they made at Jeddah. Secondly, the Sudan is among the world’s worst humanitarian crises and among the most dangerous environments for humanitarians. Just this month, a United Nations convoy was attacked, and five humanitarian workers tragically killed. In April, the United Kingdom co-hosted the London Sudan Conference, which raised over $1 billion in humanitarian funding. But without access and security, aid cannot reach those whose lives depend on it. As the upcoming rainy season brings increased Thirdly, there is no military solution to this conflict. Parallel governing structures and unilateral changes to the Constitution will only deepen the crisis. Progress depends on respect for the Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. We welcome continued efforts by the United Nations, the African Union and countries of the region to advance an inclusive political process. We underline the importance of engaging with a broad spectrum of Sudanese actors, especially civilians. The United Kingdom will continue to support efforts towards a genuine, civilian-led transition that restores peace, protects the Sudan’s sovereignty and lays the foundation for a democratic future. We look forward to working constructively, as a Council, to achieve that goal.

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Pobee and Ambassador Joonkook Hwang, Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, for their briefings. I also listened attentively to the briefing by Ms. Lewis. I welcome the presence of the Permanent Representatives of the Sudan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in today’s meeting. The conflict in the Sudan, now in its third year, is marked by the unabated expansion of fighting, bleak prospects for a ceasefire and a peace far out of reach. At the same time, the intensifying humanitarian crisis has plunged the Sudanese people into abysmal suffering, with far-reaching spillover effects, which is extremely saddening. The international community should step up its endeavours in the following five areas. First, we must make every effort to promote a ceasefire and an end to the fighting. China opposes and condemns attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including the recent assaults on United Nations humanitarian agencies and personnel in Darfur. The conflicting parties must earnestly comply with the relevant Security Council resolutions; fulfil the commitments under the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan; cease hostilities as soon as possible, de-escalate the situation; uphold their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law to protect civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools; and ensure the safety of civilians. All parties should play a constructive role in that regard and work together to help the Sudan return to lasting peace. Secondly, we must actively engage in mediation and good offices. China notes that the European Union recently hosted a new round of talks to enhance coordination in peace initiatives and efforts in the Sudan. China calls on all parties to accelerate synergies for good offices and encourages the wide engagement of parties and stakeholders in the mediation mechanisms so as to ensure the effective implementation of relevant outcomes. China calls for the United Nations to strengthen coordination with the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States and others, with a view to reaching African solutions to African problems by bringing all parties to the conflict to the negotiating table to engage in sustained dialogue to prioritize the interests of all Sudanese people. Thirdly, we must steadily advance the political process. The recent appointment of Mr. Idris as Prime Minister and the initial formation of a civilian cabinet in the Sudan are positive steps towards the implementation of the political road map, which Fourthly, we must ensure sustained humanitarian assistance. China welcomes the Sudanese Government’s announcement to extend the opening of the Adré border crossing and its submission of a quarterly report on the national mechanism for the protection of civilians to the Security Council. We support enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and the Sudanese Government to continuously improve humanitarian access, prepare for floods and epidemics during the rainy season and prevent the worsening of the humanitarian crisis. The international community, especially traditional donors, should increase rather than reduce their contributions and fulfil their funding commitments. Fifthly, we must strictly manage the spillover effects of the conflict. Recent cross-border attacks demonstrate that the conflict in the Sudan continues to spill over, threatening regional security and stability. China commends the Sudan’s neighbouring countries for hosting large numbers of Sudanese refugees despite the difficulties encountered and calls on the international community to enhance support for regional States to strengthen border security controls, better address cross-border refugee flows and the illicit diversion of weapons in order to maintain peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. China has always maintained an objective and impartial stance on the issue of the Sudan. We hope that the Sudan will achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, alleviate the humanitarian situation, advance the political process and expeditiously restore national peace, stability, development and prosperity. We stand ready to work with the international community to continue playing a constructive role in that regard.

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Pobee for her sobering briefing and Ms. Lewis for sharing her insights. As today’s briefers highlighted, the conflict in the Sudan is far from over, and the human suffering continues to deepen. More than 12 million people have fled their homes, and countless lives have been lost. Over 70 per cent of the Sudan’s population now lives in poverty. Women and girls face horrific sexual violence. Indiscriminate attacks with advanced weaponry persist. The few functioning hospitals are being bombed. Schools and markets lie in ruins. This reflects the Sudanese warring parties’ complete disregard for human life and dignity. Today I would like to make the following points. First, we call on all external actors to shift their focus from supplying arms to addressing urgent humanitarian needs. Both sides have actively sought external support to fund their war efforts, and many international partners appear more interested in maintaining lucrative supply lines than in promoting peace. That dynamic has created a vicious cycle in which external interests perpetuate internal divisions. Consequently, blatant violations of the arms embargo have continued and even intensified. With the use of foreign-supplied advanced weaponry by both warring parties, military operations have grown increasingly destructive, resulting in the systematic destruction of critical civilian infrastructure, such as power stations and hospitals, as well as deliberate attacks on displacement camps. Despite that alarming situation, the Panel of Experts of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, has yet to be appointed. We call for the prompt appointment of the Panel in order to send a clear signal that any violations will be closely scrutinized. Thirdly, given the Sudan’s unprecedented humanitarian crisis, greater humanitarian access is crucial to alleviate human suffering. We reiterate our strong condemnation of the early June attacks on the World Food Programme and UNICEF humanitarian convoys, which endangered aid workers and deprived vulnerable populations of life-saving assistance. Amid the current funding shortages, the limited humanitarian supplies available are even failing to reach those in desperate need. The Sudanese Armed Forces must minimize bureaucratic obstacles to facilitate aid delivery, while the RSF must cease deliberately obstructing the humanitarian operations of United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations in areas under their control. Fourthly, a breakthrough is urgently needed to revitalize the Sudan’s stalled political process. Despite numerous initiatives to foster a political resolution, the fragmentation of efforts has yielded little progress even as the Sudan conflict enters its third year, which is deeply regrettable. The primary obstacle remains the misguided belief of the Sudanese warring parties that military solutions outweigh negotiated settlements. To break that impasse, influential regional States, international actors and the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy must redouble their efforts to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table. In that regard, we take note of the outcomes of yesterday’s consultative meeting in Brussels, hosted by the European Union. We also call for strengthened coordination among the United Nations, the African Union, the League of Arab States and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to come up with practical ways forward for a comprehensive and inclusive political process.

We thank Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee and Ambassador Joonkook Hwang, Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, for their insightful briefings on the Sudan’s political and humanitarian situation. We also note the remarks by Ms. Shayna Lewis. We salute the brave humanitarian workers for their commitment to the cause of humanity, including in the Sudan. Pakistan expresses its deep concern about the continued suffering of civilians as a result of large-scale displacement, the destruction of critical infrastructure and the challenges being faced in the aid operations. We stand with our Sudanese brother and sisters in this difficult time. The international community must act to seek a peaceful resolution of the crisis if it is to prevent any further deterioration of the prevailing grave situation. The deliberate obstruction of humanitarian assistance and attacks on civilians constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law. Pakistan strongly condemns all atrocities and violations of international humanitarian law and calls for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in the Sudan for the sake of Sudanese people. We urge all parties to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. We call on both sides to fulfil their commitments on the protection of civilians and humanitarian access under the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan. The international community must work with the Government of the Sudan to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the country. The Sudan’s 2025 humanitarian response plan, requiring $4.16 billion, is only approximately 14 per cent funded. We call for the fulfilment of that critical funding gap. Recent aid cuts by major donors are indefensible amid rising needs. We welcome the Sudanese Government’s steps in pursuance of its transitional road map to stabilize the country, including the appointment of a new Prime Minister tasked with forming an inclusive technocratic Government, alleviating humanitarian suffering and advancing a peaceful political transition. Pakistan commends the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Sudan, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, and encourages all parties to engage with him in good faith. We support various peace initiatives being taken to bring stability to the Sudan. Those initiatives must be consolidated in a manner to complement each other, under the auspices of the United Nations and the Personal Envoy. Most importantly, the political process must be inclusive and comprehensively address the various dimensions of the situation if it is to bring about a lasting solution. In conclusion, Pakistan reaffirms its support for the unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Sudan. We express our continued support for all efforts aimed at the peaceful resolution of the situation in the Sudan in keeping with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and at alleviating the suffering of millions of Sudanese civilians.

At the outset, I would like to thank Ms. Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, and Ms. Shayna Lewis for their briefings. I would also like to thank Mr. Joonkook Hwang, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea, for his briefing. The presentations we have just heard confirm, unfortunately, the determination of the warring parties to continue fighting, regardless of the devastation they inflict on their country, and the severity and scale of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Sudan. France sees three urgent areas of action for the Security Council and the international community. First, the international community must contribute to achieving a ceasefire. That is the priority. We call upon the Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the allied militias to conclude a ceasefire as soon as possible. There is no military solution to that war. The continuation of hostilities only increases the risk France supports all international mediation efforts towards peace. We particularly welcome the work of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Sudan, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, and we call upon all parties to cooperate with him. Let us reinvigorate the momentum of all initiatives in the spirit of the London Sudan Conference, held on 15 April. The consultative meeting held yesterday in Brussels, under the auspices of the European Union, aims to contribute to that effort. Promoting a ceasefire also means ending foreign support for the warring parties, which violates international law and the relevant resolutions of the Council. France calls on all States to refrain from providing any form of support  — financial, logistical or military — to the parties involved. Secondly, the Council and the international community must encourage a political process that will enable lasting peace and a transition. Only a process that includes all parties and the entire civil society of the Sudan will make it possible for there to be a political transition towards a civil democratic Government in keeping with the aspirations of the Sudanese people, reviving the democratic momentum abruptly disrupted in 2021. In March, the Council condemned the expressed intention of the Rapid Support Forces and their allies to form their own Government (see S/PV.9878). France calls on all parties, including the authorities led by the Sudanese Armed Forces, to work towards preserving the country and creating the necessary conditions for an inclusive inter-Sudanese political dialogue. Thirdly, we must address the urgent humanitarian crisis. Just this week, a devastating strike on a hospital in West Kordofan killed around 40 civilians. France condemns all such attacks. Those responsible must be held accountable, including, if necessary, before international courts. The same applies to those responsible for the many atrocities committed across the country, particularly against children and women. The Security Council must consider new sanctions. We call on all parties to finally ensure safe, swift and unhindered humanitarian access to all populations in need — wherever they may be, across borders and front lines. We call for humanitarian pauses to enable safe access to those in need. France recalls that humanitarian workers must be protected at all times, in accordance with international law and resolution 2730 (2024). Finally, it is urgent that the parties to the conflict uphold their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan and other humanitarian obligations. That Declaration is applicable throughout the Sudan. The Council must act more decisively to support peace in Sudan and to safeguard the unity of the country.

Let me start by thanking Assistant Secretary-General Pobee and Ms. Lewis for their sobering briefings. I also thank the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea for his briefing as Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan. Our briefers have once again painted a stark and alarming picture of a country ravaged by conflict, of a people trapped in an endless cycle of violence and desperation amid one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Every month, we receive harrowing reports of massacres, rape and humanitarian suffering — from Darfur to Kordofan and beyond. We are deeply concerned about the alarming situation in the Sudan and the urgent risk of further atrocities. With Against that dire backdrop, allow me to raise three points. First, in this desperate moment for the Sudan and its people, we renew our call for an immediate end to the conflict through a full and nationwide ceasefire — one that reaffirms the Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. For too long, the political process has languished while military solutions were pursued. It is imperative that we shift that balance. We continue to encourage Personal Envoy Lamamra’s engagement with all parties through inclusive consultations, leading to a Sudanese-owned and civilian-led political process. Furthermore, we reiterate our strong condemnation of external interference that complicates the path to peace in the Sudan. Secondly, as Ms. Lewis so powerfully conveyed, reports of grave human rights violations in the Sudan are widespread, pervasive and going unpunished, affecting more than 13 million people. We have received reports of arbitrary arrests, torture and a sharp rise in sexual and gender-based violence. Women and girls have been subjected to rape, abduction, slavery and forced marriage, primarily in Rapid Support Forces-controlled displacement camps. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan highlights the deepening scale of human suffering, underscoring the need to break the cycle of violence. We demand justice and accountability for these crimes without delay. Moreover, we call on all parties to cooperate with the International Criminal Court and the Organization’s Fact- Finding Mission. Thirdly, humanitarian operations in the Sudan continue to face reprehensible attacks. As we heard, just this week, some 40 people were reportedly killed — many of them children and medics — when a hospital was struck in West Kordofan state. That follows the horrific attack on a joint World Food Programme / UNICEF convoy seeking to reach besieged El Fasher. We continue to demand immediate humanitarian access throughout the Sudan, unimpeded and without delay. That includes granting the necessary visas for United Nations personnel. It is unacceptable that El Fasher has remained inaccessible to humanitarian assistance for over a year, with countless lives teetering on the edge of famine. We support the call for a humanitarian pause. Likewise, we demand that all parties cease their cynical and dangerous manipulation of humanitarian aid and cooperate with the United Nations and its partners. Let us look honestly at the facts. This war has entered its third year. Two years have passed since the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan. One year has passed since the Council’s most recent resolution on this item (resolution 2736 (2024)), which sought to end the siege of El Fasher. Yet, as we sit here today, we have yet to see any indication of improvement. This conflict has torn the Sudan’s social fabric and has plunged its people into despair while negatively affecting neighbouring countries. Now more than ever, the Council must come together to seek common ground and work together to achieve a sustainable resolution for Sudan. Denmark stands ready to engage constructively with all Council members to that end.

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Pobee and Ms. Lewis for their briefings. I also thank Ambassador Joonkook Hwang for his update on the work of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan. The two briefings we heard this morning were deeply disturbing. With each briefing, the facts presented grew even more alarming. What makes this suffering Let me make three points in that regard. First, this conflict is human-made, and so too must be its solution. For over two years, credible initiatives and appeals for a peaceful, diplomatic resolution have been dismissed or sidelined while the violence has escalated in scale, in the sophistication of weapons and in the brutality of its execution. No path to peace is without challenges, but refusing even to attempt one is a choice, and it comes at the cost of Sudanese lives. We therefore renew our calls to the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces to silence the guns and to uphold their commitments to protect civilians; to external actors to refrain from actions that fuel the conflict; to States to strictly respect and enforce the arms embargo; and to all parties to ensure and facilitate full, safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access. We support the work of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Sudan, Mr. Lamamra, and that of other international partners working towards one goal: sustainable peace and long-term stability for the Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Secondly, protecting humanitarian space is not a matter of choice. It is an obligation and a moral imperative — a line that must never be crossed with impunity. We strongly condemn all attacks on humanitarian and medical workers, including the latest reported attacks on the World Food Programme and UNICEF convoy in North Darfur and the hospital in West Kordofan. We call on all parties to agree to humanitarian pauses and safe corridors that guarantee unimpeded access for relief workers. Lastly, impunity is not accidental. It is the result of inaction  — of red lines drawn and then quietly erased. Mass displacement, the weaponization of sexual violence, starvation, summary executions, mass graves and attacks on humanitarian and medical workers require our firm and absolute condemnation and demand for accountability. There must never come a time when erosion of outrage leads to normalizing the unacceptable. Those who perpetrate atrocities in the Sudan do so in the belief that they will not be held to account. That presumption must be challenged. Without justice, there can be no lasting peace. History has proven that. In conclusion, years from now, when the full extent of this war is documented and understood, when survivors tell their stories and history renders its judgment, what will be said of this moment? We cannot plead ignorance. We have received the warnings; we have seen the images; we have heard the pleas of Assistant Secretary- General Pobee and civil society advocate Ms. Lewis for the Council to lead the way in resolving the conflict in the Sudan. I therefore agree with my French and Danish colleagues that the Security Council must act more decisively to stop the suffering of the Sudanese people.

We thank Ms. Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, and the Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea, for their briefings. We also listened attentively to Ms. Shayna Lewis. We welcome the participation of the Permanent Representatives of the Sudan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in today’s meeting. Regrettably, the conflict in the Sudan is increasingly taking on a regional dimension. Various mediation efforts to bring the warring Sudanese parties together have so far yielded no results. Nor has there been progress in fostering a more constructive environment for interaction between the Sudan and a number of States of the region. Russia consistently supports all constructive efforts aimed at resolving the conflict in the Sudan and advancing the political process. We believe that no one doubts that only the Sudanese themselves can reach a solution through broad national dialogue. No external solution can be imposed. Viable proposals are essentially already on the table — most notably the political road map launched in Port Sudan in February 2025. The elements comprising it that have been announced — an inclusive national dialogue involving all sane social and political civil forces, the formation of a transitional civilian-led Government, constitutional reform and elections — warrant full support. As part of this initiative, on 19 May, the Republic of the Sudan appointed a new Prime Minister: the former Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Mr. Kamil Idris. He has already begun forming his Cabinet. We wish him success in this important role. We believe that the success of these efforts depends on maintaining the stability and resilience of the Sudan’s State institutions. The Russian Federation regards the Transitional Sovereignty Council as the country’s highest legitimate governing authority — not out of expediency, but in order to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted transfer of power to civilian leadership. It is essential that the Sudanese people feel that all Security Council members respect their sovereign choices and do not question a course supported by the absolute majority of the population. Any attempt to undermine those efforts will be viewed as an attack on the Sudan’s unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty. We are convinced that peace initiatives excluding Port Sudan’s participation and leadership will undoubtedly fail. We support the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sudan, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, to achieve peace and stability as soon as possible. We hosted him in Moscow for another round of consultations on 2 June. The humanitarian situation in the Sudan remains dire. Since the conflict began in April 2023, more than 90 humanitarian workers have been killed. Most medical facilities are currently non-operational, medicines are in short supply, and two- thirds of the population lack access to healthcare. Dangerous diseases are spreading. The 2025 humanitarian response plan is less than 15 per cent funded, and that is a serious challenge. We are also concerned about the worsening conditions for Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries, including reports of unrest in eastern Chad owing to clearly insufficient aid. We acknowledge the efforts of the Government of the Sudan to improve the humanitarian situation and protect civilians. We welcome the national report published in early June on Port Sudan’s efforts to protect the population from violence. We are confident that specialized United Nations human rights bodies should take We welcome the decision of the Government of the Sudan to extend the operation of the Adré border crossing with Chad until mid-August. All humanitarian assistance must be carried out strictly in coordination with the central authorities, and humanitarian actors must adhere to the core principles of neutrality, impartiality and non-politicization in their work. The trust of the Sudanese people must be earned through actions, not words. For its part, the Russian Federation will continue to contribute to humanitarian assistance in the Sudan. Like many of our partners, particularly from the Arab- Muslim world, we do not intend to attach any political conditions to this aid.

I would like to acknowledge Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee and Ms. Shayna Lewis, and thank them for their briefings, which, as others have noted, were quite sobering. I also thank Ambassador Joonkook Hwang for his stewardship of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, and for his briefing on the Committee’s recent activities. As the briefers have shared, the conflict in the Sudan continues to be the world’s largest humanitarian crisis — a crisis that is completely human-made. Sadly, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other armed actors are using the denial of humanitarian assistance as a tactic of war by manipulating humanitarian operations to achieve military and intelligence objectives. Parties to the conflict continue to impede humanitarian access, causing famine, immense loss of life and wasted resources. All parties, including the SAF and the RSF, need to ensure humanitarian access. In that regard, we were pleased to hear from Assistant Secretary-General Pobee that the United Nations is pursuing a humanitarian pause. The United States proposes the following three actions for the parties to implement their obligations. First, they must remove bureaucratic impediments that delay the dispatch of supplies and personnel. Going forward, all parties should respond within 72 hours of the notification by humanitarian implementers of the intended use, contents and destination of humanitarian assistance. Otherwise, aid should be allowed to move forward. Secondly, the parties must open all border crossings into the Sudan for humanitarian purposes, including those from South Sudan into Darfur. Thirdly, visas and presence permits must be issued for humanitarian workers throughout the Sudan within one week of application. If the Sudan is unwilling to issue visas and permits, the United Nations and other international organizations should seek to base their response to the conflict elsewhere in the region. The United States will hold groups accountable for blocking the delivery of aid. We will consider the readiness of parties to facilitate humanitarian access and enable humanitarian delivery when making decisions about funding, programming and partnerships related to broader initiatives. With regard to the 1591 Committee, we urge the Council to reconstitute the Panel of Experts expeditiously so that they can continue their vital investigations and reporting, as mandated. Protracted holds and blocks on Panel appointments will only keep the Council in the dark about the grievous atrocities being committed in the Sudan. The Committee must show concrete action and apply targeted sanctions to Finally, the United States commends the work of the emergency response rooms in the last-mile delivery of humanitarian assistance and as first responders to protect civilians. Their heroic efforts are critical to the survival of innumerable Sudanese.

Panama thanks Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee for her detailed and timely briefing. We also thank His Excellency Mr. Joonkook Hwang, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea and Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, and Ms. Shayna Lewis, civil society representative, for their valuable contributions. Their updates enhance our understanding of the current situation. We acknowledge the presence of the representatives of the Sudan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, who have joined us for this meeting. We are deeply concerned about the intensification of the armed conflict in the Sudan, which poses serious threats to regional stability and undermines the core principles of international law. We condemn the recent attack on Al-Mujlad Referral Hospital in Kordofan on 22 June, which resulted in the deaths of more than 40 people, including children, humanitarian workers and civilians. Likewise, we condemn the killing of five humanitarian workers and the destruction of critical supplies during the attack on a joint World Food Programme and UNICEF convoy in early June near Al Koma. Although the perpetrators of these attacks have not yet been definitively identified, it is essential that this be done in order to ensure accountability in accordance with international law and justice for the victims and their families. We are profoundly alarmed by the report of Assistant Secretary-General Pobee and the powerful testimony of Ms. Shayna Lewis, both of which starkly highlight the continued use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Hundreds of such assaults have been documented, with women and girls disproportionately affected. This pattern of deliberate violence against civilians and humanitarian operations is unacceptable. It is often linked to the real or perceived ethnic identity of the victims and occurs in a context of mass displacement, discrimination and hatred. The Sudan is facing an unprecedented humanitarian emergency and a rapidly escalating crisis across the country. The healthcare system’s ability to respond has collapsed, thus further exacerbating the protection crisis. We are also troubled by reports of ongoing extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, forced recruitment of children, destruction of civilian infrastructure and ethnically motivated hate speech. We take note of the appointment of Kamil Al-Tayeb Idris as Prime Minister of the Sudan in May. We hope that his leadership, which we will continue to monitor closely, marks a meaningful step towards rebuilding transitional governance and achieving genuine civilian rule. Panama reiterates its urgent call for all parties to fulfil their obligations under the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan and international humanitarian law. De-escalation of the conflict, unrestricted humanitarian access and protection of humanitarian personnel are imperative.

Let me start by thanking Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee, Ms. Shayna Lewis, and Ambassador Joonkook Hwang, Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, for their comprehensive briefings. I also welcome the participation of the representatives of the Sudan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Allow me to highlight three points. First, as our briefers have illustrated, the scale of the humanitarian crisis reflects a severe and deepening tragedy for the civilian population. The brutal attack on 2 June, near Al Koma, which resulted in the killing of five humanitarian workers from the World Food Programme and UNICEF, is a reminder of the extreme dangers faced by those trying to deliver life-saving aid. We fully condemn this act and the repeated targeting of humanitarian convoys, health facilities and civilian infrastructure. These are not isolated incidents; they form part of a broader pattern of obstruction, starvation tactics and intimidation that may amount to war crimes under international law. Greece calls for immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. We welcome the extension of the Adré border crossing and urge all parties to build upon such steps to open additional routes, in close cooperation with the United Nations and humanitarian actors. Secondly, we must urgently revive the political process. Greece supports this goal and fully backs the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Mr. Lamamra. Yet these efforts will only succeed if matched by genuine political will. We urge all parties to respect the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan and engage in dialogue, with a view to establishing a durable ceasefire and an inclusive transitional process that leaves no one behind. The voice of civil society — including women, youth and displaced persons — must be heard and integrated into any future solution. The Sudan’s path forward must be Sudanese-owned but internationally supported. Lastly, external interference must cease. Continued arms transfers and violations of the United Nations arms embargo are exacerbating the conflict and undermining regional stability. We remind all States of their obligations under Security Council resolutions and urge strict compliance. Greece also underscores the importance of accountability: deliberate attacks against humanitarian personnel and civilians must not go unpunished. The credibility of the Council demands that impunity not be allowed to take root. In conclusion, the Sudan’s population has faced extraordinary and devastating challenges. The people have shown resilience, but they deserve more than our sympathy. They deserve concrete action. Greece stands ready to work with all Council members to identify meaningful steps that will help protect civilians, support humanitarian delivery and bring the parties back to the table. We continue to strongly support the Sudan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, national unity and a peaceful path forward.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of Guyana. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the three African members of the Security Council, namely, Algeria, Sierra Leone and Somalia, and my own country, Guyana (A3+). The A3+ thanks Assistant Secretary-General Pobee for her comprehensive briefing. We also extend our appreciation to Ambassador Joonkook Hwang, Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, for presenting the Chair’s report, and to Ms. Shayna Lewis for her insights into the plight of civilians in the Sudan. In this context, the A3+ welcomes the Secretary-General’s intervention in securing an agreement from Lieutenant General Al-Burhan for a one-week humanitarian truce in El Fasher locality, to support United Nations efforts and facilitate the delivery of aid. We encourage all parties to the conflict to commit to the humanitarian pause. As elaborated by the briefers, protection needs in the Sudan are growing while resources are shrinking. There is an increasing trend of attacks on humanitarian operations and critical civilian infrastructure. Food insecurity, opportunistic looting, sexual violence and the recruitment of children are all on the rise and are being committed with increasing impunity. The A3+ strongly condemns the heinous attack on the joint humanitarian convoy in Al Koma on 2 June, and the attack on the World Food Programme facility by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 29 May. We reiterate the obligation of all parties to respect and protect humanitarian relief personnel, as mandated by the Geneva Conventions. We stress that the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and their operations are an indispensable condition for the delivery of humanitarian relief to civilians. In this regard, we reiterate that all perpetrators of human rights violations and other forms of abuse must be held to account. As efforts continue to bring the parties back to the negotiating table, the A3+ underscores the following points. First, humanitarian aid must not be weaponized. More than 24 million people in the Sudan are food insecure, and the number of forcibly displaced persons continues to grow. The A3+ urges parties to the conflict to ensure safe, unimpeded access across battle lines and borders, particularly ahead of the lean season, when access will become even more challenging. Humanitarian aid must be permitted to reach those most in need. Water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and health, education and psychosocial services are especially important, in particular amid the recent cholera outbreak, which has been exacerbated by damage to essential civilian infrastructure. That was also documented in Khartoum and Darfur, following drone strikes by the RSF on water supply lines, forcing families to collect water from unsafe and contaminated sources. We therefore welcome the decision of the Sudanese Government to open the Adré border crossing for an additional three months, until August, and underscore that this effort should be sustained. Secondly, cooperation and coordination are paramount. Humanitarian funding requirements have almost doubled since the start of the war. Amid funding cuts and existential needs, the 2025 Sudan humanitarian needs and response plan is only 14 per cent funded, nearly seven months into the year. The need for funding and resources remains critical. The A3+ calls on the international community to scale up funding. The Council must support and advocate for better coordination among mediation efforts and for preserving the central role of the African Union and the United Nations. The A3+ welcomes the convening of the Fourth Consultative Meeting on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts for the Sudan, hosted by the European Union in Brussels yesterday, and renews its support for the Secretary- General’s Personal Envoy, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra. We also reaffirm that the Jeddah process remains an important framework, the commitments under which should be upheld and respected. In the same vein, we take note of the recently established Thirdly, all parties to the conflict must respect and uphold international humanitarian law and comply with the arms embargo on Darfur. All Member States have a collective responsibility to uphold the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and ensure the maintenance of international peace and security. Violations of international humanitarian law and the arms embargo on Darfur must not be tolerated. Conflict and hunger are also driving mass displacement and generating persistent protection needs. More than a year after the adoption of Security Council resolution 2736 (2024), El Fasher remains under siege. We are also seeing a renewed surge in violence, with frequent shelling, air strikes and direct confrontations in and around camps for internally displaced persons. There is a clear need for collective action, increased monitoring and accountability measures to stem the flow of arms and armed groups within Darfur. External interference in all its forms — evidenced by the increased use of advanced weaponry, including drones and missiles — prolongs the conflict and must be unequivocally condemned. The A3+ reaffirms its commitment to a sustainable peace in the Sudan — one that is Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led. We also affirm the importance of efforts to support the Sudan in regaining its status as a vibrant and prosperous African nation, whose sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity are no longer under threat. I resume my functions as President of the Council. I now give the floor to the representative of the Sudan.

I thank the President and commend her constructive leadership in guiding the Security Council’s work throughout this month. I especially extend my gratitude to the President for her support for the Sudan’s issues in the Council, whether individually or as part of the group of the three African members of the Security Council plus one. I also thank the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Ms. Martha Pobee, for her comprehensive and balanced briefing. My thanks also go to Mr. Joonkook Hwang, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea, in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, for his report on this matter. I further thank Ms. Shayna Lewis, Specialist and Senior Adviser with Preventing and Ending Mass Atrocities, for her recent visit to the Sudan. In line with the road map submitted by the Government of the Sudan to the Secretary-General, the Sudan is witnessing dynamic developments in its internal and political landscape. The combined efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, and their engagement with the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council, have led to the appointment of Mr. Kamil Al-Tayeb Idris as Transitional Prime Minister. In his inaugural address, the Transitional Prime Minister outlined the key points for managing the transitional phase and its major challenges, identifying the priorities and plans of the new Government of Hope. He called for the achievement of the following goals, which we hope the Council will support. First, he called for national unity and prosperity and a standard of living for the people of Sudan that allows them to live with dignity. Second, he called for advancing the Sudan to the ranks of developed nations, grounded in the values of honesty, integrity, justice, transparency, tolerance and the acceptance of others. Third, he called for rebuilding trust between citizens and the State and fostering national reconciliation. Fourth, he called for reforming civic education and promoting balanced development and The civilian Government of Hope will consist of 22 ministries, along with administrative bodies such as an integrity and transparency commission, which will have broad legal authority to combat corruption; a national council for economic and strategic planning, to ensure sound planning; and a national investment authority, to attract both foreign and domestic investment. On the humanitarian front, the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, received a phone call yesterday from Secretary-General António Guterres, who welcomed the appointment of Mr. Kamil Idris as Prime Minister and affirmed the Organization’s support for this step towards completing the civilian transition. President Al-Burhan, in turn, emphasized his commitment to forming a Government composed of independent technocrats fully empowered to carry out executive responsibilities. The Secretary-General also called for the declaration of a humanitarian truce, beginning with one-week in the locality of El Fasher, to support United Nations efforts and facilitate the delivery of aid to thousands of civilians trapped there since May last year. These civilians have endured over 240 attacks, averaging one rocket strike per day. President Al-Burhan agreed to the truce and stressed the importance of implementing Security Council resolutions, particularly resolution 2736 (2024), as part of the Government’s efforts to facilitate and streamline humanitarian operations. In response to concerns raised by some delegations, coordination mechanisms have been established to ease the entry and movement of humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict. These include: a joint national humanitarian emergency mechanism, comprising all institutions concerned with humanitarian affairs; a field technical mechanism, led by the Humanitarian Aid Commission, tasked with the follow-up and completion of measures for issuing movement permits and exemptions, and with overcoming challenges to humanitarian aid delivery; and a technical committee for visa issuance, which convenes weekly to process visa applications. In February 2024, the Government of the Sudan announced the opening of humanitarian corridors, which remain operational. Seven routes and border crossings have been opened through Egypt, South Sudan and Chad — despite the fact that Chad has opened its airports to receive weapons and military supplies for militias. The Government also approved the establishment of an air bridge from Juba to Kadugli in South Kordofan state, under an agreement signed in October 2024. That arrangement has allowed aid to reach South Kordofan, including rebel-controlled areas, with the agreement renewed every three months. Following military victories in the states of Sennar, Blue Nile, North Kordofan, White Nile, Gezira and Khartoum, the number of returnees to those areas has doubled due to their relative security and stability. As a result, humanitarian conditions have somewhat improved, and incidents of sexual violence have declined. However, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other violations continue to be committed daily by the terrorist Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. One of the most prominent features of the current crisis is the displacement caused by armed conflicts, particularly those targeting civilians. That is clearly reflected in the indicators of forced displacement in the Sudan, which has resulted in According to geographic tracking data from the reports of state humanitarian aid commissions and international partners, between mid-March and mid-May more than 1.3 million people were displaced across approximately 48 locations in five states affected by repeated attacks on dozens of civilian objects and infrastructure. Regarding border crossings, the opening of the Adré crossing between West Darfur and Chad was extended to allow humanitarian aid to enter. Many foreign voluntary organizations, with Government approval, delivered and distributed aid without the involvement of the Sudanese Government. To ensure that aid reaches all affected populations, the Government has made significant efforts, including opening six domestic airports and six border crossings, securing internal routes connecting northern states to Darfur, and delivering aid to areas besieged by the rebels in South Kordofan via air from Juba Airport in South Sudan. Last week we received a letter of commendation in that regard from Mr. Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. To support voluntary return, the Government has provided basic necessities and facilitated the return of large numbers of displaced persons and refugees. During the reporting period, 350,000 families returned from 10 states. In the light of rising cases of sexual and gender-based violence, intensive efforts are underway to provide comprehensive medical and psychological services to survivors, including confidential and safe support to survivors of rape, reproductive health services and preventive treatment for infections. Survivors are also being referred to legal and social support services. Healthcare workers are receiving sensitivity training to handle cases of violence against women, in coordination with national and international partners, in order to ensure survivors’ dignity and provide a safe and supportive environment. The Federal Ministry of Health is giving special attention to therapeutic and preventive nutrition services, including the provision of ready-to-use food for children suffering from acute malnutrition, as well as early detection programmes and the monitoring of malnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women. Coordination with international and local partners is ongoing so as to enhance food and health security for affected groups and expand community nutrition interventions through health centres and temporary facilities. Between May 2023 and January 2025, data on the movement of highly vulnerable groups affected by the war show that 16.9 million people are living in critical humanitarian conditions due to the armed rebellion. That includes 12.3 million displaced persons, 3.2 million refugees and 1.4 million civilians trapped in areas under the RSF’s control. Displacement data shows that 40 per cent of the displaced are women, 35 per cent men, 20 per cent children and 5 per cent other groups. With the expansion of security and improvements of basic services across most states over the past four months, the rate of voluntary return has increased by 28 per cent for refugees and 46 per cent for internally displaced persons. Regarding efforts to combat violence against women and children, and in the context of child protection in armed conflict, the international humanitarian law unit at the Ministry of Defence — in coordination with the National State Council for Child Welfare, the River Nile State Council for Child Welfare and UNICEF — has On 15 April, a cooperation framework was signed between the Government of the Sudan, represented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, and the United Nations, represented by the Office of Ms. Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, who had just returned from a successful visit, as she confirmed during our meeting yesterday. A work programme was signed, and a team will be sent to follow up on technical matters. Contact points have been defined, represented by the Unit for Combating Violence against Women and Children and the international humanitarian law unit at the Ministry of Defence, to monitor the implementation plan for the cooperation framework and to work towards removing the Sudanese Armed Forces from the Security Council’s blacklist. We have upgraded the Unit for Combating Violence Against Women to the status of Commission, in line with the Paris Principles relating to the status of national institutions, which requires institutions that deal directly with mandate holders of the Human Rights Council to be independent. Schools were opened and displaced pupils and students were catered for, attesting to the role of the host community in ensuring that the academic year was relatively stable. In addition, with community and civil society support, schoolbags were provided to incoming students, who were accommodated in schools and integrated with the other students. The procedures for registering secondary school students in safe states were completed, and arrangements were made for students to sit the postponed secondary school certificate examination for the 2023 academic year between 28 December 2024 to 12 January 2025. That has enabled other students to be catered for in examination centres in those areas. Universities were also opened. Examinations were held for students to ensure that the academic year was not lost. Turning to the sterilization, disinfection and clearance of remnants of war, sterilization and disinfection were carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and some international and regional organizations, and water was supplied in cooperation with local organizations; takayas, community kitchens; and local authorities. Cleaning operations continued in Khartoum state, encompassing Government and public buildings, strategic areas, open spaces, roads, schools, hospitals, meeting places and services. Hazardous materials and explosives were treated in numerous facilities and ministries, such as the Al-Dhara Hospital and the National Public Health Laboratory, in coordination with the Regulatory Authority for Specific Activities and the National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. A total of 410 facilities, streets, squares and other sites were sterilized and disinfected; 225 explosive devices were removed. As regards public health, the Federal Ministry of Health announced a cholera vaccination campaign in Khartoum state, with 1,346,935 people over the age of one being vaccinated in the past week. The campaign was launched in 12 administrative units of five localities in Khartoum. The Federal Ministry of Health’s report on the epidemiological situation indicated a significant decline in cholera infection rates thanks to the efforts of the Government and international and civil society organizations. The Federal Ministry of Health received a shipment of approximately 3 million doses of cholera vaccine from UNICEF’s International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision to support the response of the Ministry and its partners to the epidemic. Despite the State’s tireless efforts to protect civilians and to rebuild what the war destroyed, challenges persist as the Rapid Support Forces continue to perpetrate atrocities against civilians, which we ask the Council to consistently condemn. They In a separate development, on 15 June, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement- North, led by Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu, launched anti-aircraft missiles from Almashaish area, South Kordofan state at two aircraft belonging to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei while they were flying from Kadugli Airport to Abyei, resulting in the suspension of those flights. As regards transitional justice, to which reference has been made, I wish to make clarify the following clarifications. As part of efforts to combat impunity, the National Committee to Investigate Crimes and Violations of National Law and International Humanitarian Law committed by the Rapid Support Forces issued two reports, confirming the independence of the investigations that it had conducted in accordance with every fair trial and professional standard. The Committee adopted an approach that was based on facilitating access to justice through field visits, during which witnesses and victims were interviewed, and was not restricted by territorial jurisdiction. A total of 120,594 cases were registered against the Rapid Support Forces for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and terrorism. The number of cases registered against members of the regular forces — individual and non-systematic cases — stands at 257. Approximately 4,000 cases were investigated and referred to national courts. Of those, 1,093 were adjudicated, with 619 defendants declared fugitives of justice. The Committee has sought from six countries the extradition of 17 defendants believed to be present on their territories. The rebel militia also used widespread sexual violence, including individual and gang rape and sexual slavery as a weapon against women to humiliate them, displace communities and thereby effect demographic changes. Those violations are documented, and we trust that the Council will condemn them. The militia also committed genocide and extrajudicial killings in the states of Gezira and the areas of El Geneina, Ardamata, Al-Jumuiya, Al-Salihah, El Obeid, Al-Nuhud and Al-Khuwayy, Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps, claiming a total of 28,613 lives and wounding 43,575. The militia violated child rights by forcibly recruiting 9,000 children and dispatching them to the battlefield. It enlisted foreign mercenaries from more than a dozen countries; they were recruited from State sponsors in clear violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. According to the Committee’s investigations, 14,504 cases of disappearance and forced detention are attributed to the rebel militia, in addition to the liquidation of prisoners. Nine hundred and sixty- five mass graves attributed to the Rapid Support Forces were discovered. The militia also systematically targeted civilian objects, as I mentioned earlier. Turning now to the challenges and recommendations, the challenges include the continued transfer of weapons to the militia from regional sponsors and some regional neighbouring countries — the main driver of the escalation of the conflict and human rights violations. Therefore, stopping the continued supply of weapons to the militia will achieve the goal of protecting civilians and bringing the war to an The humanitarian response to the situation in the Sudan has been feeble, as has partnership with the United Nations and international organizations. We demand that the militia’s acts be condemned and that it be designated a terrorist group, that its activities and movements be banned and that its leaders be designated as terrorists. External parties must be condemned for their involvement in systematic violations and genocide in the Sudan, and pressure must be exerted on them to end their support for the militia and pay damages given that the National Committee has collected evidence of their involvement. Support must be given to the tripartite committee to monitor the border between Chad and the Sudan and to the civilian Government of Prime Minister Kamil Idris, with a view to achieving the end goal of completing the transition, establishing democracy and holding elections. Lastly, the spillover of the war, involving the Rapid Support Forces opening of a front along the border between the Sudan and Libya, must be condemned. Therefore, we call for its belligerent activity in that region and central Africa to be condemned.

I now give the floor to the representative of Egypt.

At the outset, I would like to thank the briefers, especially my dear sister, Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee, for the valuable information that they provided on the developments in the brotherly Sudan. I reiterate Egypt’s full solidarity with the brotherly Sudanese people and its total determination to restore peace and security in all parts of the Sudan and to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity and the resources of its people and its national institutions. It is no secret to Council members that the gravity of the current situation in the Sudan has reached an extreme and unprecedented level more than two years after the outbreak of this crisis, with the unfortunate displacement of millions of our brethren inside and outside the Sudan, the widespread destruction of its infrastructure and the attendant negative consequences, both present and future. Egypt is following the continued escalation in the Sudan with the utmost concern. In that context, Egypt condemns the targeting of humanitarian aid convoys, humanitarian and civilian infrastructure and vital facilities in the cities of Port Sudan and Kassala and in Khartoum. Egypt stresses the need to stop those unacceptable attacks, which harm efforts to restore stability and establish a ceasefire, prevent humanitarian aid from reaching those in need of it and adversely affect the Sudanese State’s capabilities and the security and daily lives of its citizens. Our meeting today reflects our awareness of the need to help the brotherly Sudan overcome all the challenges it faces without delay or postponement, through a credible approach and effective and efficient tools. To that end, Egypt emphasizes the following points. First, it is important to renew our indisputable commitment to preserving the sovereignty and independence of the Sudan, the unity of the country’s territory and its State institutions, not equating them with any sub-State entities, while categorically Secondly, there is a need to establish a ceasefire and to halt the illegal flow of weapons within the Sudan, in order to quickly end the conflict, stop the bloodshed and contain the waves of displaced persons and refugees. Thirdly, there is a need to support Sudanese ownership and leadership of efforts to reach a final settlement of the crisis without any external dictates and to engage constructively with the efforts of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and the Sudanese Government under the leadership of Professor Kamel Idris in order to translate the brotherly Sudanese people’s aspirations to security and stability into a tangible reality. We note with great appreciation the most recent communication between the Secretary-General and the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Mr. Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan. Fourthly, it is imperative to continue constructive cooperation and confidence-building between the Sudanese Government and the United Nations and its entities in various aspects of the handling of the Sudanese crisis and to support the appreciated efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, in exerting the necessary effort to support a political settlement and peace in the Sudan. Fifthly, there is a need to increase the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people. In that context, I commend the Sudanese Government’s decision to extend the opening of the Adré crossing for an additional three months starting in mid-May 2025 to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. We also note with appreciation the recent agreement by the Sudan to observe a seven- day humanitarian truce in El Fasher. Egypt calls on the international community to seize the opportunity created by the Sudanese Government’s decisions in the humanitarian domain to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Sudanese people, in a manner that preserves the Sudan’s security, respects its sovereignty and takes into account its security concerns, including preventing the opening of the crossings from being used to transfer weapons to armed groups. It also stresses the need to ensure the safety and security of the staff of the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, in accordance with the provisions of international humanitarian law, as recalled in resolution 2730 (2024), and demands the lifting of the siege on El Fasher, in accordance with resolution 2736 (2024). Sixthly, donor countries and parties must fulfil the pledges made to fund the humanitarian response plan in the Sudan and the plan to support refugees in neighbouring countries, as the plan is currently funded at less than 40 per cent. Moreover, it is important to increase the assistance allocated to neighbouring countries, which are bearing great burdens on behalf of the international community. In that context, Egypt reiterates its determination to provide all means of care and support to Sudanese brothers fleeing the conflict to Egypt, which welcomed more than 1.5 million Sudanese brothers and provided them with the same support services received by their Egyptian brethren. Based on the deep historical and fraternal ties between the Egyptian and Sudanese peoples and the unity of destiny, neighbourhood, history and common aims, Egypt will continue the efforts that it initiated at the conference of civil and political forces in July 2024, which all Sudanese forces and external parties participated widely in and commended. Egypt will do so by holding the second edition of the conference as soon as the conditions for doing so are in place. Egypt also reiterates its continuing readiness to cooperate with all concerned regional and international parties to reach a sustainable solution to the crisis that preserves the unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty and State institutions of the Sudan, in May God protect the brotherly Sudan and its honourable people from all harm.

I now give the floor to the representative of the United Arab Emirates.

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee and Ambassador Joonkook Hwang, in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, for their briefings. I take note of Ms. Shayna Lewis’ participation in this meeting and have listened carefully to her remarks. The United Arab Emirates has long stood in solidarity with the people of the Sudan and supported the important work of civil society to drive sustainable peace in the Sudan. We share their outrage at the continued immense suffering of the Sudanese people. It is, however, deeply regrettable to hear unfounded allegations against my country repeated in this meeting. After more than 800 days of conflict, it is unacceptable that the warring parties continue to systematically violate international law by attacking civilians and blocking life-saving assistance. As we heard in today’s haunting briefings, women, children and entire communities are being terrorized by abhorrent acts of conflict-related sexual violence. The intolerable scale of suffering is a direct result of the warring parties’ disregard for civilian lives and international humanitarian law. There can be no more equivocating. The situation requires the Council and the international community to demand that those violations end now and to act decisively to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Sixty per cent of the Sudanese people require urgent humanitarian assistance. And with the cholera outbreak in Darfur, the need for unimpeded humanitarian access grows more desperate by the day. Yet, the warring parties are weaponizing starvation through the widespread and systematic obstruction of humanitarian assistance. They are imposing burdensome administrative impediments, while blocking or interfering with aid deliveries. The international community must listen to the courageous humanitarian workers, who are putting their lives on the line to provide life-saving assistance to the people in the Sudan. And we must then act on what we hear. In that spirit, the United Arab Emirates has had extensive discussions with humanitarians who are operating on the ground. And we come to the Chamber today to amplify their concerns through the following urgent calls. First, the warring parties must immediately lift all arbitrary access restrictions designed to obstruct the flow of aid and impede the critical work of humanitarian personnel. The Adré crossing point must remain open, but that alone cannot meet the Sudan’s massive humanitarian needs. Secondly, the United Nations must expand its presence throughout the Sudan and at all viable entry points into the country so that it can scale up its response and reduce aid delivery costs and delays. Overreliance on Port Sudan as a hub limits the ability of humanitarians to reach those who are most in need. Thirdly, the warring parties must cooperate with the United Nations to establish a humanitarian notification system that enables the safe, rapid and impartial delivery of aid, without requiring incessant authorizations. Humanitarians tell us that such a system is essential to ensure the predictable and secure passage of convoys and to minimize the risk of attacks on their personnel and supplies. The dire humanitarian crisis in the Sudan is compounded by the absence of a clear political horizon. After 19 months of mediation efforts, the international community must unify around a single peace initiative and demand that both the warring parties attend and participate meaningfully in peace talks. The only viable path to lasting stability in the country is a Sudanese-owned political process that leads to a civilian Government — one that is independent of the warring parties and reflects the will and diversity of the Sudan’s people. As we enter the third year of this devastating conflict, the warring parties continue to violate international law and commit atrocities against the Sudanese people. They must be held accountable by the Council without distinction. The United Arab Emirates remains committed to advancing a comprehensive political solution reflective of the will of the Sudanese people. We will continue to work with the United Nations, Council members and regional partners to support immediate humanitarian action and to bring this catastrophic civil war to an end.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.