Pakistan calls for immediate ceasefire in Sudan

Pakistan has called for an immediate ceasefire by rival militaries in Sudan during the holy month of Ramadan and for them to seek a sustainable resolution to the prolonged conflict through dialogue.

“Two years of continuous death and destruction has made it amply evident that there can be no victory on the battlefield in Sudan,” Ambassador Usman Iqbal Jadoon, deputy permanent of Pakistan to the UN, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday, stressing that both parties respect the inviolability of human life during the blessed month.

“We call on the parties to implement an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire and engage in dialogue to find a sustainable political resolution for the sake of Sudanese people,” he said in a debate on the situation in Sudan.

The warring parties — the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), controlled by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti” — had promised a smooth transition of power to civilians after a military coup ousted the long-serving president, Omar al-Bashir, in April 2019.

Five years later, the SAF and RSF failed to fulfill that promise, and their inability to find a compromise on how to rule the country led to the war erupting on April 15, 2023.

In his comments, the Pakistani envoy condemned the attempts for establishment of parallel government in Sudan, saying any scheme that undermines the UN Charter principles will not yield a durable solution to the conflict and further undermine regional and international peace and security.

Pakistan, he said, firmly upholds the unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sudan.

At the same time, Ambassador Jadoon underscored the need for ending the violations of International Humanitarian Law. “The Jeddah Declaration on Protection of Civilians, which has been agreed by both parties, must be implemented in letter and spirit,” he said.

“The perpetrators of crimes must be held accountable.”

He also reiterated Pakistan’s condemnation of Rapid Support Forces (RSF)’s attack on the only functioning hospital in the besieged El-Fasher – the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital, which took more than 70 innocent lives.

“RSF must immediately stop its killing campaigns in Zamzam and Abu Shouk IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps,” Ambassador Jadoon said.

The 15-member Council, he said, needs to ensure implementation of its resolutions, including resolution 2736 (2024) demanding that the RSF lift the siege of El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur, Sudan.

Referring to the “alarming” food security situation in Sudan, the Pakistani envoy urged the international community to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis and bridge the 36% funding gap for humanitarian appeals, noting that the country will need $4.2 billion to support nearly 21 million people in the current year.

Earlier, a senior UN aid official called on the Security Council to ensure better protection for civilians in Sudan together with unhindered humanitarian access, as the brutal war between rival parties intensifies.

“Nearly two years of relentless conflict in Sudan have inflicted immense suffering and turned parts of the country into a hellscape,” said Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Ms. Wosornu briefed the 15-member body on behalf of Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

More than 12 million people in Sudan have been displaced while 24.6 million people are experiencing acute hunger, she told the Council. In North Darfur, violence in and around the Zamzam displacement camp — which hosts hundreds of thousands of civilians — has further intensified. Satellite imagery confirms the use of heavy weaponry there in recent weeks. Many have been killed, including at least two humanitarian workers, she said.

Earlier this week, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the main provider of health and nutrition services in Zamzam, announced that it has been forced to halt its operations in the camp due to the deteriorating security situation. The World Food Programme (WFP) has also confirmed the suspension of voucher-based food assistance due to insecurity and the destruction of the market at Zamzam.

Moreover, the UN Human Rights Office has verified reports of summary executions of civilians in areas that have changed hands, Ms. Wosornu went on to say. In the south of the country, fighting has spread into new areas in North Kordofan and South Kordofan.

In the ensuing discussion, Council members expressed alarm over the increasing attacks on civilians, underscoring the harrowing plight of the Sudanese people, particularly children, and urging all parties to the conflict to put down their weapons.