The violence erupted in mid-April 2023 due to a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the RSF, complicating the planned transition to civilian governance and resulting in the world’s largest displacement crisis.
The ongoing conflict has seen waves of ethnically motivated violence attributed primarily to the RSF. Activists reported that the RSF allegedly killed at least 124 individuals in a village in El Gezira State last month, marking one of the deadliest incidents of the conflict.
The RSF has accused the army of arming local civilians in Gezira, while the RSF has previously denied harming civilians, attributing such actions to rogue elements.
Guterres expressed his horror at “reports of large numbers of civilians being killed, detained, and displaced, acts of sexual violence against women and girls, looting of homes and markets, and destruction of farms,” as stated by a U.N. spokesperson.
“Such acts may constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law. Those responsible for these violations must be held accountable,” said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
As the newly appointed president of the Security Council for November, Britain announced that the 15-member body would convene on November 12 to discuss “scaling up aid delivery and ensuring greater protection of civilians from all parties.”
“We will soon introduce a draft Security Council resolution… to advance progress on this,” said Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward at a press conference.
The draft resolution will aim to establish a compliance mechanism for the commitments made by the warring factions regarding civilian protection, as discussed in Jeddah in 2023, and to support mediation efforts for a ceasefire, starting with local ceasefires before aiming for a national agreement.
For a resolution to pass, it requires at least 9 votes in favor and no vetoes from the U.S., France, Britain, Russia, or China.
This initiative coincides with the nearing expiration of a three-month approval given by Sudanese authorities for U.N. and aid organizations to utilize the Adre border crossing with Chad for delivering humanitarian assistance to Darfur, set to expire in mid-November.
Sudan’s U.N. Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed confirmed that the Sudanese army-backed government is committed to facilitating aid across the country, including in RSF-controlled areas.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia stated that it is ultimately up to the Sudanese government to determine the status of the Adre crossing post-mid-November and argued against exerting pressure on the government.
“We are firmly opposed to the politicization of humanitarian aid,” he remarked. “We believe all humanitarian assistance should be conducted with the central authorities involved.”
