UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday rejected plans by Sudan’s paramilitary group to establish a rival government in areas it controls, warning that the move threatens the country’s territorial integrity and risks further exacerbating the ongoing civil war.
The strongly worded statement by the U.N.’s most powerful body “unequivocally reaffirmed” its unwavering commitment to Sudan’s sovereignty, independence and unity. Any steps to undermine these principles “threaten not only the future of Sudan but also the peace and stability of the broader region,” the statement said.
The 15-member council said the announcement by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces also risks “fragmenting the country and worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.”
Sudan plunged into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions, including western Darfur. Some 40,000 people have been killed, nearly 13 million displaced and many pushed to the brink of famine, U.N. agencies say.
The RSF and their allies announced in late June that they had formed a parallel government in areas the group controls, mainly in the vast Darfur region where allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity are being investigated.
The deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said last month that the tribunal believes war crimes and crimes against humanity are taking place in Darfur, where the RSF controls all regional capitals except el-Fasher in North Darfur.
The Security Council reiterated that its priority is a resumption of talks by both parties to reach a lasting ceasefire and create conditions for a political resolution of the war, starting with a civilian-led transition that leads to a democratically elected national government.
Council members recalled their resolution adopted last year demanding that the RSF lift its siege of el-Fasher, “where famine and extreme food insecurity conditions are at risk of spreading.” They expressed “grave concern” at reports of a renewed RSF offensive on the besieged city.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that a year ago, famine was declared in the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur. The risk of famine has since spread to 17 areas in Darfur and the Kordofan region, which is adjacent to North Darfur and west of Khartoum, he said.
The U.N. World Food Program is calling for access to el-Fasher to deliver aid to people facing starvation, Dujarric said.
“As a coping mechanism, some residents of the area are reportedly surviving on animal fodder and food waste,” Dujarric said.
WFP is providing digital cash to about 250,000 people in el-Fasher to buy dwindling food left in markets, he said, but escalating hunger makes it imperative to scale up assistance now.
Sudan’s foreign ministry accused the United Arab Emirates last month of sending Colombian mercenaries to fight alongside the RSF, saying the government has “irrefutable evidence” that fighters from Colombia and some neighboring countries were sponsored and financed by Emirati authorities.
The UAE’s foreign affairs ministry said the government “categorically rejects” the allegations and denies involvement in the war by backing armed groups.
Without naming any countries, the Security Council urged all nations “to refrain from external interference which seeks to foment conflict and instability” and to support peace efforts.
The Security Council also condemned recent attacks in Kordofan that caused a high number of civilian casualties.
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