Sudan
Expected Council Action
In December, Ambassador Joonkook Hwang (the Republic of Korea), the chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee, is expected to brief the Council on the committee’s work.
At press time, a meeting on the situation in Sudan more broadly is possible.
Key Recent Developments
Since launching its offensives in late September, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has made significant progress in reclaiming strategic locations in Khartoum and surrounding areas from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Despite these advances, the conflict remains intense, with both sides engaged in fierce urban warfare. In October, the SAF intensified its military operations in Al Jazira and Sennar states, achieving notable successes, including the recapture of Dinder, a strategic town linking Sennar and Gedaref states and the Jebel Moya mountain region. On 23 November, the SAF reportedly regained control of Sinja, the capital of Sennar state, after five months of RSF occupation. (For background and more information, see the brief on Sudan in our November 2024 Monthly Forecast and 11 November What’s in Blue story.)
On 12 November, the Council held a high-level briefing on the situation in Sudan. Briefing at the meeting, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) Rosemary DiCarlo strongly condemned the RSF’s attacks on civilians and the SAF’s indiscriminate airstrikes in populated areas. She stressed that both parties bear responsibility for the ongoing violence, highlighting that a cessation of hostilities is the most effective way to protect civilians. DiCarlo pointed to the continued escalation of military operations, the recruitment of new fighters, and intensified attacks by both sides, enabled by “considerable external support,” including a steady influx of weapons into the country. She criticised the role of external actors in fuelling the conflict, describing their involvement as “unconscionable” and “illegal”.
DiCarlo said that the Personal Envoy of Secretary-General Ramtane Lamamra is considering the next phase of his engagement with the warring parties, including another round of “proximity talks” focused on commitments related to the protection of civilians. She urged immediate action to implement the Jeddah Declaration, signed by both parties on 11 May 2023 and highlighted the importance of a compliance mechanism to hold the parties accountable to their commitments. She underlined the need to make progress on achieving local ceasefires that could create avenues for dialogue and potentially lay the ground for a more comprehensive agreement. (For background and more information, see our 11 November What’s in Blue story.)
On 18 November, the Council failed to adopt a draft resolution, co-authored by the UK and Sierra Leone, which aimed at advancing measures to protect civilians in Sudan. While 14 Council members voted in favour, Russia vetoed the draft resolution, citing concerns about undermining Sudan’s sovereignty and stressing the need to consult with the Sudanese government before taking any actions on the ground. The General Assembly discussed the situation in Sudan in a plenary session on 26 November, in accordance with General Assembly resolution A/RES/76/262, which states that the General Assembly is expected to convene “within 10 working days of the casting of a veto by one or more permanent members of the Security Council…a debate on the situation as to which the veto was cast”.
On 13 November, the Sudanese central authorities extended the authorisation for the Adre crossing at the Chad-Sudan border, allowing cross-border humanitarian operations to continue for an additional three months. On 22 November, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced a major scale-up in its operations in Sudan, with over 700 trucks delivering 17,500 tonnes of food aid to support 1.5 million people, including 14 high-risk “hotspots” facing severe food insecurity and risk of famine. On 22 November, the first aid convoy reached North Darfur’s Zamzam camp, where famine was declared in August, marking the first delivery of assistance to the camp since the famine conditions were confirmed.
On 24 November, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher travelled to Port Sudan in his first visit after assuming this role in mid-November. In his meetings with Sudanese authorities, he discussed ways to address constraints to the delivery of aid, the need to increase the presence of humanitarian personnel in areas worst affected by the hostilities to scale up the response, and how to increase the delivery of aid across borders and across conflict lines. Fletcher also visited Chad to meet with Sudanese refugees and the host communities, as well as local Chadian authorities and officials of the humanitarian agencies.
On 25 November, al-Burhan announced the decision to permit all relevant UN agencies to establish supply hubs in El Obeid in North Kordofan, Kadugli in South Kordofan, and Ad-Damazin in Blue Nile. The decision also allowed UN personnel to accompany aid convoys and oversee the distribution of humanitarian assistance.
Human Rights-Related Developments
In a 5 November statement, several UN experts condemned the escalating violence against civilians in Sudan, as the ongoing conflict has driven the humanitarian crisis to catastrophic levels. The experts voiced deep concern over the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war largely by the RSF, particularly in Al Jazira state and across conflict-affected regions. This widespread campaign of abuse, primarily targeting women and girls, includes rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, and human trafficking, accompanied by extreme violence amounting to torture.
On 29 October, the Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Seif Magango, underscored Commissioner Volker Türk’s deep concern about escalating hostilities in Al Jazira state, which are further exacerbating the risk of attacks against civilians, ethnically motivated violence and atrocity crimes. The statement highlighted that on 25 October, at least 124 people were reportedly killed in an RSF attack on Al-Seriha village. This followed two other RSF assaults on the nearby towns of Tamboul and Rufaa. Reports suggest that hundreds of people were killed in Tamboul amid widespread lootings. Additionally, there were at least 25 reported cases of sexual violence in several villages in Sharq Al-Jazira locality, including assaults on three medical personnel. The statement reiterated Türk’s call on all parties to strictly adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, emphasising the critical need to protect civilians and prevent further atrocities. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix, over 340,000 people have been displaced from Al Jazira State to neighbouring states since the conflict re-escalated there on 20 October.
Key Issues and Options
The overarching issue for the Security Council is how to halt the ongoing fighting and support efforts to achieve a sustainable ceasefire across Sudan. The levels of intercommunal violence and insecurity throughout the country are a related concern. In light of the continuing violence, the lack of implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, and the failure of mediation initiatives to achieve meaningful breakthroughs, Council members need to address several questions, including:
- how to bring the Sudanese warring parties to the negotiating table;
- how to protect civilians and enforce compliance with international humanitarian law;
- how to ensure accountability for past and ongoing crimes;
- how to stop the flow of arms into the country, fuelling the conflict, and
- how to mitigate the regional spillover effect of the conflict.
Council members could continue efforts to adopt a product that:
- strongly condemns the ongoing violence across the country and indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure;
- demands an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities;
- reiterates the Council’s demand to the RSF to halt the siege of El Fasher;
- expresses deep concern about the dire humanitarian situation and urges the parties to the conflict to ensure rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access for the delivery of life-saving assistance for civilians in need;
- demands that all parties to the conflict ensure the protection of civilians, including by fully implementing the 11 May 2023 Jeddah declaration; and
- builds on the Secretary-General’s recommendations for the protection of civilians, contained in his 21 October report, and expresses support for locally negotiated ceasefires and humanitarian pauses as well as for establishing a monitoring and verification mechanism in case of a ceasefire.
The US, as Council president for December, may consider holding a high-level briefing on Sudan, inviting inputs from DPPA and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Additionally, it may invite a Sudanese civil society representative to provide insights, among other things, on the critical protection challenges faced by civilians.
Another option for Council members could be a visiting mission to Sudan in early 2025 to assess the situation on the ground and engage with relevant stakeholders. This mission could also provide an opportunity for Council members to visit the refugee camps in neighbouring countries, particularly Chad.
Council Dynamics
The negotiations over the draft resolution proposed by the UK and Sierra Leone, and Russia’s subsequent veto, unveiled critical divisions within the Security Council regarding the crisis. At the outset, members converged on the need to respond to the deteriorating security and humanitarian situations, although their positions were shaped by differing priorities and approaches to key issues. These disagreements were evident in discussions on protecting civilians, implementing ceasefire mechanisms, and addressing accountability for violations of international humanitarian law. (For background and more information, see the brief on Sudan in our November 2024 Monthly Forecast and 17 November What’s in Blue story.)
In its 18 November explanation of vote, Russia argued that the draft resolution was based on what it perceived as “false understanding” as to who bears responsibility for protecting civilians in Sudan and for control and security of the country’s borders, as well as who has the authority to invite foreign forces and determine engagement with UN officials to address challenges and coordinate assistance. On the possibility of deploying an independent force in Sudan, it cautioned that proceeding without the consent of Sudanese central authorities, amid an active and widespread conflict could lead to negative consequences and undermine Sudan’s trust in the UN. It rejected external accountability mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court, as ineffective and emphasised that justice should remain a sovereign prerogative of Sudan. Furthermore, Russia accused some countries of applying “double standards” by advocating ceasefires and civilian protection in Sudan while overlooking violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.
The US accused Russia of months of obstruction and manipulation within the Council, and of advancing its own political objectives by playing both sides of the conflict. It also condemned Russia’s inconsistency, noting that while it claims to support African nations, it voted against a resolution supported by African countries. Such actions, it argued, disregard the urgency of addressing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. In a broader critique, the US rejected Russia’s accusations of hypocrisy, pointing to egregious violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and targeting of civilian infrastructure.
| Security Council Resolutions | |
| 13 June 2024S/RES/2736 | The resolution demanded that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) halt the siege of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, and further called for an immediate halt to the fighting and for de-escalation in and around El Fasher. |
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 18 November 2024S/PV.9786 | This was the record of a meeting on the adoption of the resolution proposed by the UK and Sierra Leone. |
| 12 November 2024S/PV.9780 | This was a high-level briefing on the situation in Sudan, organised by the UK. |
| Other | |
| 18 November 2024S/2024/826 | This was the draft resolution, proposed by the UK and Sierra Leone, aiming to advance measures to protect civilians in Sudan. |
