The situation in Darfur is unstable as attacks on civilians increase

Civilians escaping fighting at a UN base in South Sudan Civilians escaping fighting at a UN base in South Sudan TRT WORLD

16 September 2020 

Sudan’s representative asked the Security Council to suspend the sanctions against Khartoum due to recent developments, but the situation is precarious

Sudan’s representative asked the United Nations’ Security Council to withdraw the sanctions that it imposed on Khartoum due to the conflict in Darfur. The request came after the latest report issued by the Special Committee which was established with resolution 1591 in 2005. The representative of Estonia, as Chair of the Committee, congratulated Sudan on reaching the historic peace agreement of 31 August and underlined that the parties who are still out of it should join urgently. 

However, the Committee’s report, covering the period from 9 June to 14 September, shows that in spite of the peace agreement the situation in the region is still volatile and has even deteriorated in some areas. For instance, the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW) has been recruiting new fighters and buying weapons, thanks to its new gold mining revenues. As the report underlines, intercommunal clashes and attacks against civilians – especially against Internally Displaced Persons - have escalated since May. 

Sudan’s representative claimed that, considering the progress made in the last months and Sudan’s efforts to reach a durable peace, the Security Council should withdraw the sanctions against Khartoum, which are now “irrelevant, counterproductive, outdated and overtaken by developments”. However, as attacks against civilians rose and violence increased, some groups have been violating the arms embargo – according to the Panel of Experts – and the sanctions are not likely to be suspended for now. As the Chair of the Committee explained, the sanctions were imposed only to bring sustainable peace, not to punish Sudan. 

 

To read more, please visit:

https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/sc14304.doc.htm

https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/sudan-darfur-sanctions-fact-sheet.pdf

https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1591#work%20and%20mandate

https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/addressing-security-council-1591-committee-sudan-s-representative-urges-lifting

 

Author: Margherita Curti; Editor: Matteo Consiglio

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