Sudan: Closed Consultations
This afternoon (15 April), Security Council members will convene for closed consultations on Sudan, at the request of Denmark, Slovenia, and the UK (who is the penholder on the file). The consultations are expected to focus on the country’s humanitarian situation in light of recent attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the town of El Fasher and the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as on initiatives aimed at achieving a ceasefire and advancing political dialogue. Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra and Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Edem Wosornu are expected to brief.
Today’s meeting takes place on the second anniversary of the conflict in Sudan, which began on 15 April 2023 with the outbreak of intense hostilities between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Since then, the violence has escalated into a protracted armed conflict marked by widespread civilian casualties, mass displacement, the destruction of critical infrastructure, and grave violations of international humanitarian law, including numerous incidents of conflict-related sexual violence. (For background and more information, see our 12 March What’s in Blue story.)
The security situation in El Fasher and surrounding areas remains particularly alarming, as the city has been under siege by the RSF and allied Arab militias since May 2024. According to OCHA, RSF-affiliated forces launched coordinated ground and air assaults from multiple directions on El Fasher and the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps on 11 April, triggering intense clashes. Yesterday (14 April), Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric reported that preliminary figures indicate that more than 300 civilians have been killed in the violence, including ten humanitarian personnel from the non-governmental organisation Relief International, which operated one of the last functioning health centres in the Zamzam camp. Further east, an RSF assault reportedly killed at least 56 civilians in the town of Um Kadadah.
Humanitarian conditions in the region were already dire prior to the most recent fighting, with famine conditions confirmed in the IDP camps near El Fasher—which house more than 700,000 IDPs—and in several other areas across the country. On 13 April, the RSF reportedly announced that it had taken control of the Zamzam camp, raising concerns about the safety of civilians trapped in the conflict zone. Council members may wish to hear from Wosornu on how the conflict dynamics are impacting the humanitarian situation in the country and what measures can be taken to more effectively address the needs of civilians. (For more information, see our 4 January What’s in Blue story.)
The RSF’s actions have drawn widespread international concern and prompted renewed calls to protect civilians and end hostilities. Several countries—including Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the UK, and the US—issued statements condemning the recent escalation. In a statement marking the second anniversary of the conflict in Sudan, Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that “civilians continue to bear the brunt of the parties’ disregard for human life” and underscored the need for independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into all alleged violations and abuses. Guterres expressed deep concern about the continued flow of weapons and fighters into the country, calling for an end to external support to the conflict parties and urging those with influence on them to “use it to better the lives of people in Sudan – not to perpetuate this disaster”. He called for “[c]omprehensive, revitalised, and well-coordinated political efforts” to prevent further fragmentation of the country and affirmed his continued engagement with regional leaders to strengthen collective efforts toward peace.
At today’s meeting, speakers are likely to echo Guterres’ statement. Some might call for the full implementation of relevant Council resolutions, including resolution 2736 of 13 June 2024, which demanded that the RSF halt the siege of El Fasher. Some might condemn the parties’ continued disregard for international calls to cease hostilities.
Wosornu and several Council members are expected to underscore the urgent need for full, rapid, and sustained humanitarian access and highlight impediments to such access. Many members are likely to stress the parties’ international legal obligation to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, as well as medical and humanitarian personnel, and condemn the deliberate targeting of these individuals and facilities. Since the onset of the conflict, over 90 humanitarian workers have been killed in Sudan, while the World Health Organization (WHO) has verified 156 attacks on healthcare facilities, resulting in 318 deaths.
As both sides continue to pursue military strategies, mediation efforts have stalled, and prospects for political dialogue have diminished. In February, the Sudanese government announced a political roadmap outlining plans for a comprehensive national dialogue and the formation of a civilian-led technocratic government. The initiative was welcomed by the Council’s “A3 plus” members (Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Guyana) and Russia during the Council’s 26 February meeting on Sudan. Subsequently, in a 5 March press statement, Council members expressed concern about the RSF’s stated intention to establish a “parallel governing authority” in Sudan, warning that it could further escalate the conflict, deepen internal divisions, and worsen the humanitarian crisis.
During the closed consultations that followed the Council’s 26 February meeting, Lamamra apparently noted that both warring parties had reaffirmed their commitment to the 11 May 2023 Jeddah Declaration. It seems that Lamamra indicated his intention to convene technical proximity talks focused on implementing the declaration, with the aim of paving the way for a broader political dialogue at a later stage. Today, some Council members may be interested in hearing Lamamra’s assessment of the parties’ current positions, the prospects for de-escalation and renewed dialogue, and insights from his recent engagement with regional and international stakeholders.
Following recent battlefield gains, SAF General and head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has ramped up diplomatic efforts to secure international support. On 28 March, he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Mecca, where they announced an agreement to strengthen bilateral relations. On 8 April, Burhan met Egypt’s General Intelligence Chief Hassan Mahmoud Rashad in Port Sudan. On 10 April, he travelled to Asmara for discussions with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The following day (11 April), Burhan arrived in Türkiye to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum—an annual conference on international diplomacy—where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. On the sidelines of the conference, he also held bilateral meetings with leaders from Azerbaijan, Libya, and Sierra Leone.
On 9 April, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Washington DC to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to a readout of the meeting, the ministers agreed that the SAF and the RSF “must return to peace talks, protect civilians, open humanitarian corridors, and return to civilian governance”. (Following the outbreak of conflict in Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the US facilitated talks between the warring parties in Jeddah, but these talks were suspended after two rounds.) In May, US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations on his first foreign trip since assuming office again in January.
Today’s meeting coincides with a ministerial conference in London, which was jointly organised by France, Germany, the UK, and the European Union (EU) to mark the second anniversary of the conflict in Sudan. The conference convened 20 countries and multilateral organisations to discuss the drivers of the protracted crisis, mobilise international support to address the consequences of the conflict, promote a political solution, and enhance humanitarian access and response. In a letter to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, however, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Youssef formally protested the exclusion of the Sudanese government from the conference. In response, UK Special Representative to Sudan Richard Crowder reportedly said—following his 9 April meeting with Burhan in Port Sudan—that the conference is intended to support peace efforts and noted that no Sudanese political actors were invited.
Council members are currently negotiating a UK-authored draft press statement, which, among other things, condemns the attacks on El Fasher as well as on Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps in recent days by the RSF.
