Sudanese people need to be protected, but Guterres says the time is not right for a UN force to step in

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, asked the Security Council on Monday for help to protect people in war-torn Sudan, but he said that the time is not right to send a U.N. force.

“The people of Sudan are living through a nightmare of violence — with thousands of civilians killed, and countless others facing unspeakable atrocities, including widespread rape and sexual assaults,” Guterres told the group of 15 people.

A power battle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led to war in the middle of April 2023, just before a planned change to civilian rule. The war caused the biggest migration problem in the history of the world.

The UN secretary-general said, “Sudan is once again quickly becoming a nightmare of mass ethnic violence.” He was speaking to a war in Darfur, Sudan, about 20 years ago, which led to the International Criminal Court charging former Sudanese leaders with genocide and crimes against humanity.

During this war, there have been waves of violence based on ethnicity, which is mostly blamed on the RSF. Activists say that on Friday, the RSF killed at least 124 people in a village in El Gezira State. This was one of the deadliest events of the war.

In the past, the RSF has denied hurting people in Sudan and blamed other groups for the actions.

Sudanese and human rights groups had asked for stronger steps to be taken to protect people, such as the possible use of impartial force. Guterres said that these calls showed “the gravity and urgency of the situation.”

The president told the council, “Right now, the conditions are not right for the successful deployment of a United Nations force to protect civilians in Sudan.” He also said that he was ready to talk about other ways to stop the violence and keep citizens safe.

“This may require new approaches that are adapted to the challenging circumstances of the conflict,” said Guterres.

HELP GET IN

Because of famine in relocation camps and the fact that 11 million people have left their homes, the U.N. says that nearly 25 million people, or half of Sudan’s population, need help. The vast majority of those people have now moved on to other territories.

“This is not just a matter of not having enough money.” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., told the council, “Millions of people lack access and go hungry.”

Thomas-Greenfield said that Washington was worried that the Sudanese government “continues to undermine, intimidate, and target humanitarian officials” instead of making it easier for help to get to people in need. She said that the charity groups need to grow and become more organized.

“They also need to extend the authorization for the Adre border crossing, open additional cross-border and cross-line access routes, and facilitate airport access for humanitarian purposes,” she said.

The government of Sudan, which is backed by the army, is committed to making it easier for help to get to all parts of the country, even those held by the RSF, said Sudan’s U.N. Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed. He said 10 border points and 7 airports were now open so that help could be sent.

In mid-November, Sudanese officials will no longer allow the UN and aid groups to use the Adre border crossing with Chad to get to Darfur. The permission was given for three months.

“There are 30 trucks that went through the Adre border crossing loaded with advanced weaponry and ammunition and this led to serious escalation in al-Fashir and in other places,” he said. We saw that Adre was the way that thousands of soldiers from Africa and the Sahel got into the country. The border crossing Adre is a real danger to the safety of the country.

The Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, told the council that the Sudanese government should decide if the Adre crossing will stay open past mid-November. He also said that putting pressure on the government would be “inappropriate.”

“We’re categorically opposed to the politicization of humanitarian assistance,” said the man. “We believe that any humanitarian assistance should be conducted and delivered solely with the central authorities in the loop.”