New York / Port Sudan / Geneva — The UN Security Council (UNSC) yesterday called for an "immediate ceasefire" in Sudan during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, as the situation in the country deteriorates, with millions of people threatened by severe hunger. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) urged "unimpeded humanitarian access to all states, including across frontlines."
Fourteen UNSC members supported a draft resolution proposed by the United Kingdom, calling for "an immediate cessation of hostilities before Ramadan" and asking "all parties to the conflict to search for a permanent solution through dialogue".
The resolution also calls on both parties to the conflict "to allow full, rapid, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance, including across borders and across front lines" and urges them to protect civilians.
Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator said that whether a ceasefire is reached or not, the delivery of humanitarian aid must be improved. He denounced the "quite extraordinary problems of access" and called on the warring parties to return to the negotiating table and reach a solution to their violent conflict.
If a Ramadan ceasefire is observed by both sides, "I can assure you we'll be piling in the aid and repositioning, repairing institutions, getting children out to safety and so forth," Griffiths told reporters in New York yesterday.
The ongoing fighting that erupted on April 15 last year between the Sudanese army commanded by Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by Lt Gen Mohamed 'Hemedti' Dagalo has led to the deaths of thousands of Sudanese.
Nearly 11 million people fled their homes, which makes Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on February 22.
About 25 million people in Sudan, more than 50 per cent of the population, are in dire need of humanitarian assistance," UN experts reported in early February. They called for increased funding for civil society organisations to assist victims and for humanitarian response to provide life-saving assistance," they said, warning that the appeal was only 3.1 per cent funded.
The Clingendael Strategic Monitor, in a policy brief on February 8, warned of a very high risk of famine.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain said on Wednesday that 90 per cent of people facing emergency levels of hunger in Sudan are stuck in areas that are largely inaccessible to the UN food agency.
Following intense pressure, the de facto Sudanese government on Wednesday informed the UN that it will open border crossings from Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan, to allow the transport of humanitarian aid. The authorities so far obstructed delivery of aid, especially via Chad, citing concerns that the routes could be used for arms supply to the RSF.
Reservations
While most of the UNSC members supported the call for a ceasefire during Ramadan that is expected to begin tomorrow evening. Some countries expressed reservations, in particular Russia, which abstained, and China.
Russian Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva said that Moscow decided to allow this resolution to pass because it relates to the lives of the Sudanese. Russia rejects the idea that the council imposes its own rules and principles on sovereign states.
Her Chinese counterpart, Ambassador Dai Bing, urged an end to the fighting as soon as possible. China believes that the council's actions should be supportive of diplomacy and avoid exacerbating tensions, he commented.
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Port Sudan, which voiced opposition to the delivery of humanitarian aid to Sudan across the border from Chad last week, on Friday set its conditions for a ceasefire: the RSF should withdraw from all areas they have taken control of since April 15 last year, return all public and private property the paramilitaries reportedly appropriated, and stop committing human rights violations, especially in Darfur.
'Humanitarian desert'
On Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed to "all parties in Sudan to respect the values of Ramadan by ceasing hostilities.
"The cessation of hostilities must lead to the permanent silencing of weapons throughout the country and chart a firm path towards lasting peace for the Sudanese people," Guterres added in his address to the UNSC, warning of a humanitarian crisis of "massive proportions" and a looming famine.
In a response on X the following day, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) expressed its "profound disappointment" with the UN secretary-general's remarks, which refer to a partial solution at best for North Darfur but leave vast areas in Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and El Gezira still inaccessible and leave millions of lives at risk.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The medical aid organisation considers the reopening one border point from Chad to Sudan, at El Tina in North Darfur, insufficient. "Without access to all border crossings into all Darfur states, the crisis there persists.
"MSF reaffirms additional cross-border operations via Adré are also essential for reaching a population in dire need of medical and humanitarian assistance in West, South, Central and East Darfur."
The international organisation further noted "the critical need for safety guarantees before reopening some of Sudan's airports for humanitarian access. Without agreement between all parties to the conflict, air routes remain unsafe to use and wouldn't improve humanitarian access."
According to MSF, Darfur, Khartoum and El Gezira "remain a humanitarian desert" as the government of Sudan "continues to systematically withhold authorisations for movements across frontlines. In many of these areas, MSF finds itself almost alone in delivering humanitarian medical assistance."
MSF called on the UN leadership to demand parties to the conflict "ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to all states, including across frontlines. This is the only way millions of people in need of assistance can be reached."
