UNITED NATIONS
\nAs the flames of war continue to engulf Sudan, Pakistan has called for an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians, and unfettered humanitarian access, leading to a peaceful political transition that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people.
\n\u201cThere is no military solution to the conflict in Sudan,\u201d Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council on Monday.\u201dThe only durable path forward lies in a political dialogue and reconciliation,\u201d he said during a debate on the rapidly deteriorating situation in Sudan.
\nThe conflict erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since then, fighting has spread nationwide, devastating cities, displacing millions, and pushing parts of the country \u2013 including areas of Darfur \u2013 into famine conditions.
\n\u201cSudan\u2019s crisis is deepening, and the cost is being paid most acutely by the civilians. Even the United Nations peacekeepers have not been spared,\u201d the Pakistani envoy told the 15-member Council.In this regard, Ambassador Jadoon condemned last week\u2019s deadly drone attack on the peacekeepers serving UNISFA (United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei) deployed in the disputed area between Sudan and South Sudan.
\n\u201cWe convey our deepest condolences to the Government and people of Bangladesh, and to the families of the six fallen peacekeepers, and wish a swift recovery to those injured.\u201d Pointing out that the attack did not occur in a vacuum, he said the Secretary-General\u2019s latest report had warned of the growing threats to peacekeepers, including the persistent encroachment of RSF in UNISFA\u2019s operating environment.
\nEarlier this year, RSF kidnapped 60 peacekeepers and seized UN assets and fuel trucks, he said, urging the Council to ensure that peacekeepers are not left exposed to predictable threats without consequence for those who attack them. RSF, he added, has also been on a rampage, including the killing of children in a kindergarten and attacks on schools and hospitals in Kordofan, a region in central Sudan, after the atrocities in Al-Genina and El-Fasher.
\n\u201cBefore El-Fasher fell, this Council and the broader international community were warned, repeatedly, of the consequences of inaction,\u201d the Pakistani envoy said, pointing out that Security Council Resolution 2736 demanded that the siege of El-Fasher be lifted and called for the protection of civilians and humanitarian access.
\n\u201cYet we saw defiance on the ground, followed by catastrophic outcomes, undermining the credibility of the Council,\u201d he said. \u201cThe lessons from these massacres are clear: where siege tactics, starvation, indiscriminate attacks against civilians are not stopped, more grave atrocities follow.\u201d
\nAmbassador Jadoon underscored the need for providing sustained, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access by all parties, with humanitarian routes kept open and protected. Pakistan, he said, had consistently encouraged the Council to welcome the Sudanese Government\u2019s steps in pursuance of its transitional roadmap, including the appointment of Prime Minister Kamil Idress and his technocratic cabinet tasked with alleviating humanitarian suffering and advancing an inclusive political transition.
\nThe Pakistani envoy called for the preservation of Sudan\u2019s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity; rejection of any so-called parallel government or structures; ensuring greater complementarity between the various peace initiatives and maintaining zero tolerance for war crimes, including attacks against UN peacekeepers and humanitarian workers.
\nBriefing the Security Council on Monday, senior UN political and humanitarian officials described a sharply deteriorating security and humanitarian situation marked by indiscriminate attacks, expanding territorial gains by RSF, and escalating dangers for civilians, aid workers, and peacekeepers.
\nAssistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Khaled Khiari said fears that the dry season would bring intensified fighting had been confirmed. \u201cEach passing day brings staggering levels of violence and destruction,\u201d Khiari told the Council. \u201cCivilians are enduring immense, unimaginable suffering, with no end in sight.\u201d \u2014 DNA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS As the flames of war continue to engulf Sudan, Pakistan has called for an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians, and unfettered humanitarian access, leading to a peaceful political transition that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people. \u201cThere is no military solution to the conflict in Sudan,\u201d Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-521647","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n