Sudan: UK has circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate end of hostilities ahead of Ramadan

"THE UK has circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate end of hostilities in Sudan ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. 

The British draft resolution expresses ‘grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation’. 

With Ramadan expected to begin around Sunday, depending on the sighting of the new moon, the council is expected to vote quickly on the resolution, probably on Friday. 

The latest draft on a Sudan ceasefire was circulated on the same day the head of the UN food agency warned that the Sudan conflict “risks triggering the world’s largest hunger crisis” as global attention is focused on the Israel-Hamas war. 

The proposed UN resolution calls on all parties to remove obstructions and allow “full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access” including across Sudan’s borders and across conflict lines.

The draft also urges strengthened co-ordination of several regional and international efforts “to facilitate an end to the conflict and to restore a lasting inclusive civilian-led democratic transition.” 

The US is negotiating on its own proposed Gaza resolution with the latest draft calling for a “ceasefire of roughly six weeks in Gaza together with the release of all hostages” as soon as Israel and Hamas agree. The draft makes no mention of Ramadan."  Read more.

From The Irish News

By Edith M Lederer, Associated Press

Dated Thursday, March 07, 2024 at 3:36AM GMT

UN resolution calling for end to hostilities in Sudan ahead of Ramadan

The British draft resolution expresses ‘grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation’.

Full story: https://www.irishnews.com/news/world/un-resolution-calling-for-end-to-hostilities-in-sudan-ahead-of-ramadan-4EQJ622VTNJ5ZHTECA4OWM3DF4/

_______________________________

Related 

From Sudan Tribune - undated, here is a copy in full: 

Fikra for Studies and Development urges Security Council to endorse UK draft resolution for ceasefire in Sudan

Fikra for Studies and Development welcomes the UK draft resolution submitted to the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan. We hope that the Security Council will adopt this resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and that it will include clear and effective enforcement, implementation, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure its application on the ground.

The resolution should emphasize the need to adhere to the principles of the Jeddah Declaration for the Protection of Civilians, signed by the warring parties on May 11, 2023. It should also reaffirm the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) principle adopted by the UN in 2005, to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and the cessation of violations against Sudanese civilians, especially in Darfur, Khartoum, and Al Gezira states.

If adopted by the Security Council and successfully implemented, this resolution will pave the way for a permanent ceasefire, opening the door for a rational political process to end the civil war that has been ongoing in Sudan since April 15, 2023.

Fikra for Studies and Development calls on the members of the Security Council to vote to pass this resolution. We also call on the African Union, the Arab League, and IGAD to support this resolution by urgently contacting all members of the Security Council and encourage them to vote in favor of this resolution. We further call on the five permanent members of the Security Council not to use their veto power to block the passage of this resolution.

We reiterate our call to the UN and its humanitarian agencies to declare a state of severe famine of phase 5 at the national level in Sudan and to address the humanitarian situation accordingly.

The current situation in Sudan represents the largest humanitarian catastrophe of our time, in terms of the number of displaced and refugee people, the widespread famine, the severe food shortages, and the horrors faced by the Sudanese people due to the ongoing war. The international community must act now effectively to stop this ongoing suffering.

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article282996/

END

Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy in Sudan concludes Addis meetings, contacts SLM-AW

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: The following report, written in Arabic, was sent to me today by a Sudanese man living and working in England, UK. As he is keen to see peace in Sudan I have used Google translate to document the report here in English. A report by Sudan Tribune, also copied here below, explains who is behind the 'Civil Front'. It is heartening to see former Prime Minister Hamdok's name cited in the Sudan Tribune's report. 

_________________________

Report from Al Taghyeer -  altaghyeer.info/en/
Dated 20 September 2023 - here is a full copy (using Google translate):

Civil Front concludes Addis meetings and takes steps to stop war in Sudan

The components of the Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy in Sudan agreed on the importance of strengthening the efforts of all forces calling for stopping the war and restoring democracy, and the need to coordinate between them as soon as possible.

Khartoum: Change

The Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy in Sudan concluded meetings of the Coordination and Communication Authority held on September 17 and 18 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and issued a final statement on the deliberations and decisions.

According to the statement issued on Tuesday, the meeting stressed the need to redouble efforts to confront the plans of the remnants of the former regime calling for the continuation of the war, and discussed the importance of strengthening the efforts of all forces calling for stopping the war and restoring democracy and the need to coordinate between them as soon as possible.

He announced the formation of a committee to communicate with all democratic civil forces to accelerate these efforts, and the meeting adhered to the political vision of the components of the Civil Front.

"Change" publishes the text of the final statement:

Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy

Final communiqué of the meetings of the Coordination and Communication Authority

The meetings of the Coordination and Liaison Committee of the Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy, which lasted for two days (September 17 and 18), concluded in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, these meetings discussed the poor humanitarian situation caused by the war, and the political efforts exerted to work to stop it by building the broadest civil front of democratic forces opposed to it.

At the outset, the Civil Front paid tribute to those who lost their lives in this war, and expressed its full solidarity with the injured, displaced and refugee victims.

It declared its full condemnation of the gross violations of human rights, which varied between killings, occupation of homes and hospitals, looting of property, arrests, kidnappings, rape and many heinous crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces, as well as all violations of killing, aerial bombardment of civilians and arbitrary arrests by the armed forces, and called for a transparent investigation and accountability for all those involved.

The participants stressed the need to redouble efforts to confront the plans of the remnants of the former regime who call for the continuation of this war, use it to demonize the revolution and liquidate its forces, and spread hate speech and ethnic and regional division.

They also discussed the importance of strengthening the efforts made by all civil forces calling for stopping the war and restoring democracy, and stressed the need for coordination between them as soon as possible, and a committee was formed from all categories of the front to communicate with all civil democratic forces to accelerate these efforts and reach the widest civil front that works to end the war, and rebuild the state on the basis of the principles, values and goals of the glorious December revolution.

The meeting adhered to the political vision of the components of the Civil Front, which was contained in the founding statement of the Front on the twenty-seventh of last April, and work to develop it with the rest of the civil democratic forces in response to the new reality produced by the fifteenth of April war and its repercussions.

They agreed to establish a national mechanism for reparations and compensation, including the relevant authorities, to account for all the damage caused by the war, and stressed that any political solution to end it must not fall under the principle of fair and equitable compensation for all those who have been harmed and harmed by this damned war.

They also appreciated the efforts of humanitarian aid workers from local, regional and international institutions and organizations, especially the emergency rooms in Khartoum State and all cities and regions of Sudan, who work in very complex conditions, stressing the need to ensure the delivery of aid to those who deserve it.

In conclusion, it was agreed to activate the organizational, media and humanitarian work to achieve the goals of the interim and future front.

Coordination and Communication Authority

19 September 2023

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

View original: https://www.altaghyeer.info/ar/2023/09/19/الجبهة-المدنية-تختتم-اجتماعات-أديس/

___________________________

Related report

From Sudan Tribune.com

Dated Thursday, 13 October 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudanese anti-war civilian forces reach out to Darfur holdout group

Image: FFC leaders meet Ugandan president on July 3, 2023

October 13, 2023 (ADDIS ABABA) – A prominent leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) revealed that the Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy forces have been in contact with the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Nur (SLM-AW) to join this collective effort.

Since July of this year, political forces, civil society groups, and some armed movements that are parties to the Juba peace agreement have been engaged in discussions to establish a broad civil coalition. The purpose of this coalition is to exert pressure on the warring factions to cease hostilities and revive the path toward democratic transition.

Nur al-Din Babikir, a member of the FFC leadership and spokesman for the Sudanese Congress Party, told Sudan Tribune that there is coordination between the Front, the SLM-AW, the initiatives led by former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and former Sudanese ambassador to the United States Nur al-Din Satti. He added that the purpose of these consultations is to convene a founding conference for the Civil Front.

Babikir stated that the conference’s agenda is centred on halting the conflict by forming a coalition capable of compelling both sides involved in the conflict to cease hostilities. Subsequently, this would pave the way for a political process to restore the civilian-led democratic transition through an agreed project.

He further confirmed that the FFC also consults with IGAD, neighbouring countries, and other regional actors to unify their initiatives. He stressed that these efforts have made some progress towards achieving a ceasefire despite the lack of commitment from both parties.

Also, he announced that the United States and Saudi Arabia are holding consultations to resume the Jeddah process to end the war in the near future, starting with the cessation of hostilities, the establishment of humanitarian corridors to provide aid to the war-afflicted civilians, and a subsequent political process that ends the war.

He pointed out that the Front includes many Sudanese figures representing various bodies, the FFC, and nine coordination committees for Resistance Committees, civil society initiatives, and armed groups.

The SLM-AW rejects the Juba Peace Agreement and refuses to participate in any peace process to end the war in Darfur. In return, the Movement calls for a national conference to discuss issues of identity, wealth distribution, and justice and social justice in the country.

It’s worth noting that the SLM-AW has rejected the Juba Peace Agreement and remains unwilling to participate in any peace process to end the conflict in Darfur. Instead, the group calls for a national conference to address matters related to identity, wealth distribution, justice, and social justice within the country.

The FFC-initiated civilian front has not announced any contact with the Democratic Bloc groups, which includes the SLM led by Minni Minnawi and the Justice and Equality Movement of Gibril Ibrahim.

A severe conflict has been ongoing between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 15 of this year. This has been accompanied by grave violations against civilians, including killings, sexual violence, arrests, forced displacement, and military airstrikes. (ST)

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article278299/

[Ends]

FULL TEXT: UNITAMS Volker Perthes Remarks to UN Security Council Meeting on Sudan 09 August 2023

Report from Sudan Tribune - sudantribune.com

Dated 09 August 2023 - here is a full copy:

UNITAMS Volker Perthes remarks to the Security Council on August 9, 2023

Image: Volker Perthes briefs the Security Council about the situation in Sudan on May 22, 2023

August 9, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Hereunder is the briefing that the banned UN Secretary-General Special Representative to Sudan, Volker Perthes, had to present to the Security Council members on Sudan.

Following threats by the Sudanese military-led government to end the UNITAMS if he briefs the Council, the UN decided to prevent him from speaking to the 15-members body and replaced him by Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa.

 

Security Council session on Sudan

9 August 2023

 

Madame President

Members of the Security Council,

Thank you for this opportunity to brief you on the situation in Sudan.

More than one hundred days have passed since the eruption of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

Clashes between these parties continue in various parts of the country, particularly Khartoum, Bahri, Omdurman and Darfur, with neither side achieving victory nor making any significant gains. Khartoum State remains an epicentre of the conflict, with major combat concentrated around key SAF installations including the Sudanese Armed Forces General Command Headquarters.  Fighting is continuing in neighbourhoods. This week the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces both ordered residents to leave their homes in a part of Omdurman, declaring it “an area of operations”.

The parties have exacted tremendous suffering on the people of the Darfur region.  The fighting in Darfur continues to reopen the old wounds of ethnic tension of past conflicts in the region. The brutal violence experienced in El Geneina and Sirba are particular examples of this situation.  This is deeply worrying and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict with regional spillovers. The initiative by Chad to convene a grouping of Darfurian stakeholders to address the situation in the region is therefore welcome and should be built upon while ensuring the participation of a broad range of stakeholders, including armed groups, tribal leaders, civil society, and women’s groups.

The situation in the two Kordofan and the Blue Nile States of Sudan continues to be fragile, with persistent military actions and frequent road closures.  In North Kordofan, SAF controls El Obeid city while RSF is controlling areas around the city.

Since June, the SPLM-North Al Hilu faction has continued to make military advancements in SAF-controlled areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, in which SPLM N claims is an attempt to take back territory previously taken from them.

While the East is relatively calm, there are indications of active mobilization efforts in support of SAF, with the emergence of mobilization committees and establishment of military training camps. The mobilization is particularly worrisome and risks plunging the East into conflict along ethnic lines, further highlighting the fragility of the region.

The Northern part of the country remains under Sudanese Armed Forces control.

Excellencies,

The conflict in Sudan continues to have immense repercussions on the country and its people who continue to face unimaginable suffering [The humanitarian and protection needs are rising by the day with no signs of a reprieve.  My humanitarian colleague Ms Edem Wosornu will brief you in detail on the mounting humanitarian needs and response efforts.

The indiscriminate and sometimes targeted attacks on civilians and civilian objects and infrastructure continue, particularly in Khartoum, Darfur, and North Kordofan, as the parties continue to disregard calls to protect civilians and uphold their international human rights and humanitarian law obligations.

Sexual violence continues to be perpetrated on a large scale, while children continue to be killed or victimized or are at risk of being recruited to fight.

The systematic abductions and killings of human rights defenders in Darfur and Khartoum are on the rise. The parties to the conflict must take concrete actions to end and investigate these violations, and support must be provided to strengthen human rights defenders’ networks and better protect human rights defenders.

UNITAMS and the wider UN have on several occasions denounced specific egregious violations such as ethnically-motivated attacks in West Darfur, systematic looting and rape, or aerial bombardments, and have named those responsible.

Hostilities in the country must come to an end and perpetrators should be held accountable for crimes committed, including sexual violence.

Excellencies,

We welcome the ongoing efforts by the African Union and IGAD to end the conflict in Sudan. UNITAMS remains committed to support these efforts, including through the AU-led Expanded Mechanism and its Core Group – which the UN is a part of. We also welcome the continued efforts of the US and Saudi Arabia to facilitate negotiations between the conflicting parties in Jeddah, as well as the initiative of Sudan’s neighbouring countries to help resolve the conflict. The common thread among these initiatives is the call for a permanent cessation of hostilities, facilitation of humanitarian access, and engagement with civilian stakeholders in an inclusive political process.

Coordination between the existing regional and international mechanisms and fora remains essential to maximize the collective leverage of regional and international actors and enhance the effectiveness of mediation efforts. The United Nations is supporting a joined-up approach towards facilitating a comprehensive solution and will continue to work closely with our partners – particularly the African Union and IGAD in this regard, in coordination with others.

We must also highlight that a broad range of civilians remain committed to ending the war and a resumption of a transition leading to a democratic state. Civilians, tribal leaders and others are coming under increasing pressure to take sides in the war, and we continue to urge against this. Such pressure will only lead to a civil war with ethnic and regional repercussions for decades to come. In fact, UNITAMS is supporting efforts by local leaders to prevent or de-escalate conflicts, particularly in Darfur.

UNITAMS also welcomes the ongoing efforts by civilian leaders to consolidate various civilian initiatives under one umbrella to unify anti-war forces in one broad front and prepare for an inclusive political process. It is important to include civil society, women’s rights groups, youth, trade professions, and resistance committees whose voices and engagement are particularly significant in any efforts to end the conflict in Sudan.  UNITAMS continues its outreach with these initiatives and encouraging broad-based inclusivity.

Let me also highlight the important role Sudanese women are playing by leading several anti-war initiatives that call for the immediate cessation of violence, accountability for human rights violations, including sexual violence, and for women’s participation in ceasefire negotiations and any future political process. Their voice must be heard.

Excellencies,

Let me close by reiterating that there needs to be a negotiated solution to end this war as soon as possible. There is no other alternative. Calls by some to continue the war in order to achieve a military victory will only contribute to destroying the country. The longer this war continues, the greater the risk of fragmentation, and foreign interference and erosion of sovereignty, and the loss of Sudan’s future, particularly its youth. Now is the time to end this senseless war and return to negotiations. UNITAMS, along with its partners, will continue to engage with both sides towards this goal and we count on the united support of this Council.

Thank you, Madam President.

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article275981/

[Ends]