The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution Friday calling for a Ramadan cease-fire in Sudan, where the UN Secretary-General warned this week that the humanitarian crisis has reached "colossal proportions." The resolution also urged the warring parties to seek a sustainable resolution to the war in Sudan through dialogue and to remove any obstructions to the distribution of humanitarian aid.
"With the adoption of this resolution, the Council has sent a strong and clear message to Sudanese Armed Forces [SAF] and Rapid Support Forces [RSF] to agree an immediate cessation of hostilities during the month of Ramadan," said British Deputy Ambassador James Kariuki, whose delegation drafted the text.
The Muslim holy month begins Sunday and lasts about 30 days.
"This follows the call of the Secretary-General and the African Union," Kariuki said. "We urge the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to act on this united international call for peace and to silence the guns."
The US envoy Robert Wood condemned atrocities committed by both sides in the nearly year-old war.
"This tragedy has gone on too long," he said. "We must unite to prevent and stop the flow of weapons that is fueling this conflict."
Resolution 2724 (2024), adopted by a vote of 14 council members in favor, none against and Russia abstaining, calls for "an immediate cessation of hostilities during the month of Ramadan, and for all parties to the conflict to seek a sustainable resolution to the conflict through dialogue."
The resolution also urged all parties to the conflict “to ensure the removal of any obstructions and enable full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, including cross-border and crossline, and comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, including to protect civilians and civilian objects (…).”
It was not immediately clear whether the parties to the conflict would heed the cease-fire call.
A day earlier, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for a Ramadan cease-fire, saying it is time for rival generals there to lay down their weapons.
"This cessation of hostilities must lead to a definitive silencing of the guns across the country and set out a firm path towards lasting peace for the Sudanese people," Guterres said. “Now is the time to lay down the weapons.”
Fighting erupted last April between forces loyal to Sudan's army chief, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The two generals were once allies in Sudan's transitional government following a coup in 2021, but have become rivals for power.
The ensuing power struggle has led to thousands of deaths, a massive displacement crisis, and large-scale atrocities, particularly against non-Arab communities in the country's Darfur region. Hunger has also reached catastrophic levels, and the UN has received reports of children dying from malnutrition.
Humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told reporters Friday that a pause in the fighting would be welcome.
"If that goes through and if it is observed by both sides, I can assure you we will be piling in the aid — pre-positioning [aid], repairing institutions, getting children out to safety, and so forth."
The UN says about 25 million people - half of Sudan's population - need some form of humanitarian assistance. Of them, 18 million face acute food insecurity - 10 million more than a year ago.
"Ten million Sudanese have become food insecure because of this conflict that should never have started," Griffiths said.
In a statement Friday, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that the brutal war in Sudan was pushing the country toward famine and a catastrophic loss of life, especially among children.
"In what is now the world’s largest child displacement crisis, severe malnutrition among young children is intensifying beyond the worst projections, and there are outbreaks of cholera, measles and malaria," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said.
“There is also evidence of spikes in malnutrition-related child deaths, particularly among displaced children.”
Sudan is now home to the world's largest internal displacement crisis, with 6.6 million people forced from their homes in search of safety. Another 1.9 million have fled to neighboring countries. More than 70 percent of health facilities in areas where there is fighting have stopped functioning.
“Communities are on the brink of famine because we are prevented from reaching many of the children, women and families in need. This is unacceptable,” Russell said.
“From the international community, we need a massive mobilization of resources by the end of March so that humanitarian partners can get the supplies and capacity on the ground, in time, to limit the impending humanitarian catastrophe.”
The humanitarian operation is woefully underfunded. The UN has appealed for US$2.7 billion for Sudan this year, but the appeal is only 4 percent funded.
Some information for this report provided by VOA.
Further information
Full text: UN Security Council Resolution 2724 (2024), adopted March 8, 2024
http://undocs.org/en/S/RES/2724(2024)
Full text: Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on children in Sudan at risk of famine, UNICEF, press release, published March 8, 2024
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-children-sudan-risk-famine