Pakistan pushes for Sudan ceasefire, political path as war gets deadlier
UNITED NATIONS: As the flames of war continue to engulf Sudan, Pakistan has called for an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians, and unfettered humanitarian access, leading to a peaceful political transition that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people.
“There is no military solution to the conflict in Sudan,” Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council on Monday.
“The only durable path forward lies in a political dialogue and reconciliation,” he said during a debate on the rapidly deteriorating situation in Sudan.
The conflict erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since then, fighting has spread nationwide, devastating cities, displacing millions, and pushing parts of the country – including areas of Darfur – into famine conditions.
“Sudan’s crisis is deepening, and the cost is being paid most acutely by the civilians. Even the United Nations peacekeepers have not been spared,” the Pakistani envoy told the 15-member Council.
In this regard, Ambassador Jadoon condemned last week’s deadly drone attack on the peacekeepers serving UNISFA (United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei) deployed in the disputed area between Sudan and South Sudan. “We convey our deepest condolences to the Government and people of Bangladesh, and to the families of the six fallen peacekeepers, and wish a swift recovery to those injured.”
Pointing out that the attack did not occur in a vacuum, he said the Secretary-General’s latest report had warned of the growing threats to peacekeepers, including the persistent encroachment of RSF in UNISFA’s operating environment. Earlier this year, RSF kidnapped 60 peacekeepers and seized UN assets and fuel trucks, he said, urging the Council to ensure that peacekeepers are not left exposed to predictable threats without consequence for those who attack them.
RSF, he added, has also been on a rampage, including the killing of children in a kindergarten and attacks on schools and hospitals in Kordofan, a region in central Sudan, after the atrocities in Al-Genina and El-Fasher.
“Before El-Fasher fell, this Council and the broader international community were warned, repeatedly, of the consequences of inaction,” the Pakistani envoy said, pointing out that Security Council Resolution 2736 demanded that the siege of El-Fasher be lifted and called for the protection of civilians and humanitarian access.
“Yet we saw defiance on the ground, followed by catastrophic outcomes, undermining the credibility of the Council,” he said. “The lessons from these massacres are clear: where siege tactics, starvation, indiscriminate attacks against civilians are not stopped, more grave atrocities follow.” Ambassador Jadoon underscored the need for providing sustained, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access by all parties, with humanitarian routes kept open and protected. Pakistan, he said, had consistently encouraged the Council to welcome the Sudanese Government’s steps in pursuance of its transitional roadmap, including the appointment of Prime Minister Kamil Idress and his technocratic cabinet tasked with alleviating humanitarian suffering and advancing an inclusive political transition. APP
