UN calls for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, paving the way for renewed transitional democratic talks

Friday, the United Nations Security Council called for an immediate cease-fire in Sudan to be followed by a permanent cessation of hostilities and renewed efforts to reach an enduring democratic political settlement in the war-torn nation.

The most potent U.N. body has vehemently condemned all attacks on civilians since mid-April, when violence between rival generals competing for power broke out.

According to the United Nations, the conflict has caused hundreds of civilian fatalities and nearly one million people to flee their homes in an attempt to avoid the violence.

The press release was issued by the council in advance of a resolution to extend the U.N. political mission in the country for six months instead of one year, allowing the council time to contemplate its future.

On Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres requested to brief the Security Council behind closed doors for the fifth time since he assumed office in January 2017 to discuss the impact of the ongoing conflict on the UNITAMS mission. It was constituted by the council on June 3, 2020 to assist Sudan in its transition to democratic rule.

After his briefing, the U.N. chief told the 15 council members that it is up to them to determine whether to continue the political mission in Sudan or whether “it’s time to end it.”

In 2019, following the ouster of Sudanese strongman Omar al-Bashir, Sudan began an unstable democratic transition led by civilian and military leaders. In October 2021, however, the generals acquired complete power in a revolt before turning on each other.

The Sudanese commander General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, agreed to restore the transition but disputed over the terms of the RSF’s integration into the army, a disagreement that erupted into open conflict on April 15.

Burhan demanded in a letter to Guterres that the U.N. special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, be removed, claiming that his approach in pre-war discussions between the generals exacerbated the conflict and accusing him of “being partisan.” The letter “shocked” the U.N. leader.

Guterres reaffirmed to the council, following Wednesday’s meeting, “my full confidence in Volker Perthes.”

In a statement released on Friday, the Security Council reaffirmed its support for UNITAMS, which is led by Perthes, and emphasized the need “for strengthened international coordination and continued collaboration.”

The United States and Saudi Arabia announced late Thursday that they were suspending reconciliation negotiations with representatives of the two generals that had been taking place since late May in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Wednesday, the Sudanese military suspended its participation in the negotiations, citing “repeated violations” of a U.S.-Saudi brokered humanitarian cease-fire by RSF forces, including their continued occupancy of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in Khartoum. The RSF stated that it “fully supports the Saudi-American initiative.”

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement on Monday announcing the suspension of talks “due to repeated serious violations of the short-term ceasefire and the recent extension of the ceasefire.”