UN Security Council extends sanctions on Sudan's Darfur

The renewal maintains existing restrictions and includes a sanctions committee to oversee enforcement

Fighters ride in a vehicle moving in a military convoy accompanying the governor of Sudan's Darfur state. AFP

The UN Security Council unanimously renewed sanctions on Sudan’s Darfur region on Wednesday, extending an arms embargo, asset freezes, and travel bans for 12 months.

All 15 members of the council voted in favour of the resolution, which extended measures first adopted in March 2005 against people and entities involved in the Darfur conflict.

The renewal, a technical rollover of sanctions last extended in March 2023, includes individual sanctions - asset freezes and a travel ban - on three people, and an arms embargo.

A panel will continue to monitor compliance and report findings to the Council.

Robert Wood, the US deputy ambassador to the UN, highlighted the “danger” and “desperation” facing the people of Darfur, citing intensified fighting, restricted humanitarian aid, human rights violations and mass displacement.

“This adoption sends an important signal that the international community remains focused on their plight and is committed to advancing peace and security in Sudan and the region,” Mr Wood said.

China and Russia, permanent members of the Security Council who abstained the last time the embargo was renewed, in 2023, this time voted in favor.

China's ambassador, Dai Bing, noted that with no de-escalation in sight and a worsening humanitarian crisis, the renewal of sanctions would help stem the flow of illicit arms and contribute to calming the situation on the ground.

He said the sanctions were "a means, not an end. They must not replace diplomacy."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday accused the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing widespread war crimes and atrocities in Sudan’s conflict.

The rights group urged the UN Security Council to expand the arms embargo and restrictions from Darfur to all of Sudan and hold culprits accountable.

Jean Baptiste Gallopin, senior researcher at HRW, called the Council's decision to renew sanctions limited to Darfur a “missed opportunity.”

He urged the Council to “correct this failure as soon as possible” and expand arms restrictions across Sudan to curb the flow of weapons and prevent further atrocities.

In its most recent report, the International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, established by the Human Rights Council, had called for extending the Darfur arms embargo nationwide to curb the flow of weapons and financial support to the warring parties.

However, during the Council’s June meeting on Sudan, Russia warned that expanding sanctions beyond Darfur would not help bring peace to the region.

War erupted in April last year between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary RSF over a transition to free elections.

The UN has said nearly 25 million people – half Sudan's population – need aid, famine is looming and some eight million people have fled their homes.

Sudan's UN representative, Al Harith Mohamed, urged the restoration of “balance in Darfur to prevent the negative consequences affecting the government's efforts to protect civilians.”

Mr Mohamed said civilians in El Fasher are being attacked by militias, and called for the enforcement of Security Council resolutions, specifically 1591, which prohibits states from supporting armed groups.

He also again accused the UAE of supplying weapons and support to the RSF.

UAE ambassador to the UN Mohamed Abushahab responded to the “baseless allegations” made by the Sudanese representative.

“The repetition of baseless allegations does not make them true, whether repeated in the media, in this council or elsewhere, there is simply no credible evidence these ludicrous accusations have been dispelled in our letters to the Security Council on this matter,” he said.