UN Security Council Condemns Sudan RSF Plan for Parallel Authority, Urges Ceasefire and Political Dialogue
NEW YORK: The United Nations Security Council has strongly denounced a move by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to establish a parallel governing authority in areas under their control, warning that it threatens Sudan’s territorial integrity and risks further escalating the country’s civil war.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the 15-member council voiced “grave concern” that the unilateral action could deepen the nation’s fragmentation and worsen an already severe humanitarian crisis.
“The Security Council reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Sudan,” members said, stressing that any step undermining these principles endangers both Sudan’s future and regional stability.
The council called on all Sudanese parties to immediately return to negotiations to secure a lasting ceasefire and lay the groundwork for an inclusive political settlement. Such talks, they said, must involve all political and social groups and aim to establish a credible, civilian-led transitional government to guide Sudan toward democratic elections.
Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, rival factions within the country’s military government.
The statement also recalled Resolution 2736, adopted in June 2024, which demands that the RSF lift its siege of El-Fasher and halt fighting in the area, where famine and extreme food shortages threaten millions.
Council members expressed alarm over reports of a renewed RSF offensive on El-Fasher and called for unrestricted humanitarian access.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk condemned a recent large-scale RSF assault on El-Fasher and the nearby Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons, which killed at least 57 civilians, including 40 displaced people. Turk warned of rising fears of ethnically motivated persecution and described the siege and repeated attacks as serious violations of international humanitarian law.
He cited survivor testimonies of previous RSF assaults, which included killings, widespread sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and torture. Turk urged the international community to act to end the abuses and ensure accountability to break Sudan’s cycle of violence.
The Security Council also condemned recent attacks in Sudan’s Kordofan region that caused heavy civilian casualties, urging all sides to protect civilians, comply with international humanitarian law, and allow safe conditions for aid operations.
Council members called on both factions to uphold their commitments under the 2023 Jeddah Declaration and urged UN member states to avoid any external interference that could fuel the conflict.
The council reaffirmed its full support for the UN Secretary-General’s envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, commending his efforts to facilitate dialogue between the warring parties and civil society to achieve lasting peace.