The United Nations Security Council is considering a British-drafted resolution aimed at ending Sudan's ongoing conflict, which began in April 2023 over a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The draft urges an immediate ceasefire, prioritizing safe and unrestricted humanitarian access across conflict lines and borders.
The violence has led to the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 25 million Sudanese, half of the country's population, now in need of humanitarian aid and 11 million displaced from their homes, including nearly 3 million who have fled to other countries.
The draft resolution condemns the RSF’s offensives and calls both sides to halt hostilities. Ethnically motivated violence, attributed mainly to RSF forces, has heightened the humanitarian crisis, though the RSF denies targeting civilians.
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The U.N. Security Council recently imposed sanctions on two RSF generals, marking the first sanctions in this conflict. British U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward highlighted the dire conditions in Sudan, pointing out widespread human rights violations, including sexual violence against women and girls, as well as critical food shortages. Over half of Sudan's population is now facing severe food insecurity.
To meet humanitarian needs, the draft resolution urges open access for aid, especially at the Adre border crossing with Chad, which currently allows aid deliveries to Darfur under a temporary three-month agreement set to expire in mid-November.
Previous Security Council resolutions in March and June also called for ceasefires and unimpeded humanitarian access but failed to halt the violence.
Holding the Security Council's presidency in November, Britain seeks swift action on the resolution, which requires nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the U.S., France, Britain, Russia, or China.
