UNSC Condemns Attacks in Sudans Kordofan Region, Calls for War End

The United Nations Security Council has issued a statement expressing “deep concern” over the escalating violence in war-torn Sudan. The council condemned repeated drone attacks against non-combatants, civilian facilities, and humanitarian workers, including strikes on World Food Programme operations.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been blamed for the spike in drone attacks on civilians, according to the UNSC statement. Thousands of people have been killed, and millions displaced in a conflict that has created a large displacement and hunger crisis.

The council also condemned reports of arbitrary detention, conflict-related sexual violence, and the continued assault and destabilization in the Kordofan region. The RSF, along with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, has laid siege to Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, since the conflict began in April 2023.

The UNSC imposed sanctions on four high-ranking RSF figures, including the brother of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the current head of RSF. The sanctions include travel restrictions and asset freezes.

According to the World Food Programme, at least 21.2 million people, or 41 percent of the population, are facing high levels of acute food shortages, while 12 million people have been “forced from their homes by the conflict”. The council called for safe, unhindered humanitarian access and the free movement of civilians.

The UNSC also reiterated that deliberate attacks against humanitarian personnel, their premises, and assets may constitute war crimes. The council stressed that starvation must not be used as a weapon of war.

Source: Al Jazeera