As UNSC calls for Sudan Ramadan ceasefire, Russia, China recall Gaza
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The resolution has passed with fourteen nations voting in favor of it, and one abstention.
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People board a truck as they leave Khartoum, Sudan on June 19, 2023. (AP)
The United Nations Security Council called on Friday for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins early next week, as the country's security situation continues to deteriorate.
Fourteen nations supported the resolution submitted by Britain, with only Russia abstaining on the vote, which called for "all parties to the conflict to seek a sustainable resolution to the conflict through dialogue."
AFP reported that the resolution urges an "immediate cessation of hostilities," before the time for prayer and reflection begins.
It also urges the warring parties to permit "unhindered" humanitarian access across borders and fighting lines.
Sudan's envoy to the UN stated that al-Burhan supported the proposal but questioned how a truce could be implemented if RSF soldiers continued to target "civilian" areas.
Amid Sudan's ceasefire, Russia, China recall Gaza's ordeal
The adoption of the resolution prompted China to remind the same Council of the necessity of not forgetting the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, while Russia accused the United States of double standards.
Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Anna Evstigneeva, accused the US of "double standards" by "dragging out the adoption of a document on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip," where the death toll has exceeded 30,000 in five months only.
"The USA time and again uses it to veto, plays for time and demands that we wait for some results from its direct diplomacy on the ground. Nothing of the sort is proposed for Sudan," she told the council before the vote.
The United States has vetoed three draft council resolutions since the war on Gaza began on Oct. 7.
On his part, China's deputy UN ambassador, Dai Bing, addressed the council, saying, "While adopting a resolution on a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan in the Sudan, the Security Council must not forget that the people of Gaza are still suffering under bombardment."
"The international community must push for immediate ceasefire," he added.
Humanitarian crisis in Sudan reaching 'colossal proportions'
Earlier, warning that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan is reaching "colossal proportions", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan.
"In just days, the holy month of Ramadan will commence. So from this chamber today, I am making an appeal. I call on all parties in Sudan to honor the values of Ramadan by honoring a Ramadan cessation of hostilities," Guterres told a Security Council meeting on Thursday.
On his part, Deputy British Ambassador James Kariuki declared a draft Council resolution urging an "immediate ceasefire before the holy month of Ramadan and urging all parties to allow for unhindered cross-border and cross-line humanitarian access."
Russia criticized Britain's effort as disingenuous, citing the Security Council's failure to call for an immediate ceasefire in the war on Gaza due to Washington's repeated vetoes.
Sudan at risk of becoming 'largest hunger crisis' amid war: WFP
A warning by the United Nations' World Food Programme on Wednesday said that Sudan's almost year-long war "risks triggering the
The war between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), who leads the Rapid Support Forces, has left tens of thousands dead and more than eight million displaced from their homes, making it the world's largest displacement crisis.
WFP executive director Cindy McCain said that "millions of lives and the peace and stability of an entire region are at stake," adding, "Twenty years ago, Darfur was the world's largest hunger crisis and the world rallied to respond."
"But today, the people of Sudan have been forgotten."
WFP highlighted that it cannot reach 90% of those facing "emergency levels of hunger," noting that only 5% of the population "can afford a square meal a day."
It mentioned that in South Sudan, where 600,000 people from Sudan have fled, "families arrive hungry and are met with more hunger," and one in five children are malnourished.
Two weeks ago, authorities loyal to the Sudanese army blocked aid deliveries to the Darfur region, one of the most affected regions by the war, a move decried by aid workers and the US.
For over two decades in Darfur, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have employed the "scorched earth" war tactic, involving the deliberate widespread destruction of property and resources. Currently, the RSF has captured four out of the five major cities in the region.
