UN Security Council extends sanctions against Sudan until 2025

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has voted unanimously to extend the current sanctions against Sudan, which include an asset freeze, travel ban and an arms embargo, for another year. The motion was adopted by the 15-member body during its 9721^st meeting in New York yesterday.

A statement from the UN Press Office revealed that resolution 2750 (2024) (to be issued as document S/RES/2750(2024)) under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations was adopted unanimously, with a decision on further extension to be taken no later than 12 September 2025.

Addressing the council, US Representative Ambassador Robert Wood said that the people of Darfur continue to live in danger, desperation and hopelessness. Every day, they face intensifying fighting and restrictions on humanitarian assistance, continued human rights violations and mass displacement. “This adoption sends an important signal to them that the international community remains focused on their plight and committed to promoting peace and security in Sudan and the region,” he said. Furthermore, extending the sanctions will restrict the movement of arms to Darfur and impose sanctions on individuals and entities that contribute to or are complicit in catalyzing activities in Sudan. “All of this is critical to helping end the escalating conflict, alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe and put Sudan back on a path to stability and security,” he stressed.

Sudan

The representative of Sudan pointed to the ongoing attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Darfur, including medical facilities, carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) using heavy artillery and weapons prohibited under international law. “It is no secret that the United Arab Emirates plays a key role in the continued existence of this crisis,” he stated, condemning Abu Dhabi’s role in supporting the militias and accusing them of profiting from the illegal exploitation of gold in the region. He further called for “clear measures” against companies and businesses headquartered in the United Arab Emirates that seek to sabotage Sudan’s economy.

In this context, he stressed the need for international pressure on the militias to compensate the Sudanese people for the losses they have inflicted through large-scale looting and widespread destruction. “We consider all this as terrorism,” he stressed. Against this background, he urged “targeted sanctions” against the militias and the state that sponsors and supports them. He stressed the dire humanitarian conditions, including internal displacement and refugee crises, and called for increased assistance from UN agencies and a “strategic plan for peace” that takes into account Sudan’s concerns and will help put pressure on the aggressors.

United Kingdom

The representative of the United Kingdom noted the recent report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission on systematic human rights violations by the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Both sides believe that the solution to this conflict will lie on the battlefield, he noted, and called on states to refrain from strengthening the fighting capacity of either side and instead use their leverage to bring them to the negotiating table. In that regard, he welcomed today’s reaffirmation – through the resolution – of the need for the warring parties to protect civilians.

Korea

The representative of the Republic of Korea urged all warring parties and Member States to adhere to the arms embargo and to cease serious violations of international humanitarian law. As the conflict spreads across Sudan, “the Council should work together to take more concrete measures” to effectively implement the renewed sanctions, he stressed. He called for a sanctions regime that “responds to the changing situation on the ground”, particularly in light of the use of heavy weapons and reports of sexual and gender-based violence, and advocated “targeted measures” against those violating sanctions.

China

The representative of China said his country supported the extension of sanctions to help “stop the steady flow of illegal weapons to the battlefield” and de-escalate the situation on the ground. He called on the warring parties to put the interests of their countries and peoples first and to respect international humanitarian law, and also expressed hope that member states would abide by the arms embargo while respecting Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “Sanctions are a means, not an end,” he stressed, adding that the measures should neither replace diplomacy nor “become an instrument of political pressure at the service of some countries.”

France

The representative of France condemned all violations committed in Sudan, regardless of the perpetrators, and expressed concern about the atrocities against civilians in Darfur based on their ethnic affiliation. He called on all foreign actors to refrain from arming, financing or providing logistical support to the parties.

Russia

The representative of the Russian Federation noted the complex situation around El Fasher — the capital of North Darfur — where the SAF, with the support of the local population, continues to push back units affiliated with the RSF. Moscow believes that these efforts by the Government of Sudan will help bring the long-awaited stability and restore order. External humanitarian actions to help Sudan should be purely constructive and coordinated only with the central authorities. The unanimously adopted resolution is aimed at stopping destructive influence. The use of unilateral coercive measures and pressure by some states against the Sudanese side is unacceptable when there is a Council decision like today’s.

‘Peacekeeping Force’

A report by the UN’s independent international fact-finding mission, released on Friday, accused warring parties in Sudan of “an appalling array of gross human rights violations and international crimes…” and called for “an independent and impartial force with a mandate to protect civilians, to be deployed without delay.”

HRW

Before yesterday’s UN Security Council vote, Human Rights Watch (HRW) demanded that the arms embargo be extended to the rest of Sudan to “secure the mechanisms necessary to conduct such investigations, hold violators accountable, and prevent further acquisition of equipment likely to be used to unlawfully harm civilians and commit war crimes.”

HRW takes note of the report Fanning the flames: Sudan’s warring parties’ access to new foreign-produced weapons and equipment: “The emergence of images of equipment previously unknown to Sudanese actors, or used more frequently months after the conflict broke out, suggests that warring parties acquired some of these weapons after April 2023.”