The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian assistance in Sudan as the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) devastates the country. Despite calls for intervention, deploying UN peacekeeping forces to Sudan remains challenging.
In a statement before the UN Security Council on October 28, 2024, Guterres highlighted the severe toll the year-and-a-half-long conflict has had on Sudan’s civilians, many of whom are trapped in a worsening humanitarian crisis. “The suffering grows every day; nearly 25 million people are in need of assistance. Sudanese citizens are living in a nightmare of violence. Thousands of civilians have been killed, with countless others subjected to unspeakable acts, including sexual violence and gender-based abuse,” he stated.
Guterres reported that Sudan now holds the highest number of displaced persons worldwide due to this conflict, with over 11 million people forced to flee their homes. Among these, approximately 750,000 refugees residing in Darfur face critical food shortages. The UN Secretary-General also condemned recent intensified attacks on civilians in El Fasher and the capital, Khartoum, urging accountability for those responsible for war crimes.
In December 2020, the UN withdrew its peacekeeping mission, UNAMID, from Sudan, followed by the conclusion of the UN political mission in December 2023 per the Security Council’s directive. Guterres explained that, under current circumstances, there is no viable pathway for deploying UN forces to protect civilians in Sudan, though the UN is prepared to consult with the Security Council on alternative measures to alleviate the suffering.
The Sudanese government had previously opposed a proposal to deploy neutral peacekeeping forces for civilian protection, a recommendation presented in April 2024 by UN representatives tasked with investigating the ongoing violence in the region.
BY TUYISHIME Eric
