Sudan & South Sudan

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday appealed for warring parties in Sudan to observe a ceasefire for at least three days so that civilians trapped in conflict zones can seek medical treatment, food and other essential supplies. His call to silence the guns during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations, marking the end of Ramadan, followed a virtual meeting on the crisis, convened by the African Union (AU).

Impunity is a major driver of the human rights and humanitarian crises in South Sudan, which continue to cause immense trauma and suffering for civilians in the country, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said on Tuesday.

Abdel-Fattah Al Burhan Abdelrahman Al-Burhan, the President of the Transitional Government of Sudan, called for more multilateral action to find sustainable solutions to global challenges and to reduce terrible repercussions for people worldwide, particularly in countries affected by conflict and in the least developed countries.

Civilians are in increasing danger, while humanitarian needs across Sudan “are growing exponentially”, the head of the UN mission in Sudan told ambassadors in the Security Council on Tuesday.

The trial of senior Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb – the first prosecution to get underway at the request of the UN Security Council – represents “a glimmer of hope for justice in Darfur,” Sudan, the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor on the case told the chamber on Tuesday.

With eight months remaining, the window of opportunity is closing for South Sudan to meet critical benchmarks required to complete its transition away from long-running civil conflict, the Special Representative for the country told the Security Council on Monday, pressing parties to the November 2018 peace deal, to implement their commitments in letter and spirit.

Flooding and displacement in South Sudan are expected to worsen when the wet season begins in around a month, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned on Tuesday.

The United Nations envoy for Sudan told the Security Council today that consensus has emerged on many issues towards establishing a functional government, warning that Khartoum could lose out on billions of external aid without such an administration.

South Sudan is “ready to turn a new page” towards greater peace, development and prosperity, Vice-President Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior said in her speech in the UN General Assembly on Friday. 

South Sudan’s transformation from conflict to recovery is underway, but much needs to be done before securing “a peaceful and prosperous future”, the UN Special Representative to the country told the Security Council on Tuesday.