No military solution to Sudan conflict, says US

Fighting between the army and the RSF has been particularly severe in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur

A burnt-out vehicle in front of damaged buildings in Omdurman, central Sudan. AFP

The US on Tuesday urged outside entities to stop fuelling and prolonging the Sudanese conflict by supplying weapons to the region.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, also asked the Security Council to give priority to Sudan and called for the resumption of ceasefire negotiations that include a return to civilian governance.

“There is no military solution to this senseless war … none whatsoever,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield told the 15-member Security Council.

The Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces militia have been fighting since April 2023 in a conflict the UN says has already claimed about 150,000 lives.

The war has also pushed much of the country into food insecurity and acute hunger.

Fighting has been particularly severe in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur and the only capital in the Darfur region that is not under the RSF’s control.

UN rights chief Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday that Sudan “is being destroyed in front of our eyes by two warring parties and affiliated groups … [who have] flagrantly cast aside the rights of their own people”.

Mr Turk called for both sides to be held accountable for committing war crimes.

On June 14, the Security Council adopted a UK-drafted resolution demanding an end to the siege of El Fasher.

The measure, which won 14 votes in favour and an abstention from Russia, expresses “grave concern” over the spreading violence and reports that the RSF is carrying out “ethnically motivated violence”.

During Tuesday's Security Council meeting, the Sudanese ambassador to the UN, Ammar Al Harith Idriss, repeated allegations that the UAE is supporting the RSF.

The UAE's ambassador to the UN, Mohamed Abushahab, said the “ludicrous allegations” came from the representative of Sudan “who represents the Sudanese armed forces, one of the warring parties in Sudan”.

“We believe that the Sudanese people deserve justice and peace. They need a ceasefire, a credible political process and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid,” Mr Abushahab said.

The ambassador expressed the UAE’s deep concern over the consequences of the intensifying conflict on the “brotherly Sudanese people.”

“Excuses and finger pointing only prolongs the suffering of civilians,” Mr Abushahab said in response to the accusations made by Sudan’s representative.

Since the onset of the conflict, about 9.2 million people have been displaced and 1.9 million people have sought refuge in Sudan’s neighbouring countries – the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

The hostilities have persisted across several front lines, including in and around Khartoum, Al Jazirah, Kordofan, and White Nile.

According to the UN, more than two million people in 41 hotspots are at high risk of slipping into catastrophic hunger in the coming weeks and 7,000 new mothers could die in the next few months if they do not receive access to food and health care.

Growing needs are becoming increasingly difficult to meet due to shrinking funding.

“As of the end of May 2024, the gap between humanitarian funding requirements and available resources stands at $40.8 billion,” Mr Turk said.

“Appeals are funded at an average of 16.1 per cent only.”

The UAE on Monday increased its contributions to humanitarian efforts in Sudan by directing $70 million in aid for UN agencies. This is in addition to the $130 million in aid sent over the past 10 months.

“With millions of Sudanese people facing a looming famine, it is unconscionable that the Sudanese Armed Forces continue to obstruct and deny basic humanitarian assistance, in violation of international humanitarian law,” Mr Abushahab said.

The ambassador also stressed the need for a ceasefire and for a credible political process, while allowing an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to the country.

Mr Abushab also called on the Sudanese representative to take part in the Jeddah talks – aimed at bringing an end to the conflict.

The US last week provided another $315 million for the humanitarian response in Sudan and neighbouring countries.

“We are in the race against time to avert massive loss of life. And in this unprecedented protection and food security crisis in Sudan,” warned Edem Wosornu, director at the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

“Every day that we wait for funding to come, more lives are at risk.”

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