Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2-minute read
06 December 2023 | 13:03 CAT

FILE PHOTO: REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File 

The UN ended its political mission in Sudan as demanded by the Khartoum government. Sudan has seen months of conflict between two rival generals.

On Friday, the UN Security Council voted to end its political mission in Sudan at the country’s request. Fourteen of the Security Council’s 15 members adopted the resolution, while Russia abstained.

The British-drafted resolution terminates the mandate of the UN mission, known as UNITAMS, on Dec. 3 and requires it to wind down over the next three months. The 15-member council established UNITAMS in June 2020 to support Sudan during its political transition to democratic rule.

A UN country team providing humanitarian and development aid will remain in the country, where the UN says nearly 25 million people – half the population – need help.

“We affirm the government’s readiness to continue constructive engagement with the UN by strengthening cooperation with a country team,” Dafallah Alhaj, an envoy to Sudan’s army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, told the council.

He said the delivery of humanitarian aid was a top priority.

The UN special envoy to Sudan announced in September that he was stepping down, more than three months after Sudan declared him unwelcome.

US envoy Robert Wood said: “We are gravely concerned that a reduced international presence in Sudan will only serve to embolden the perpetrators of atrocities with dire consequences for civilians.”

A paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, which was born out of the notorious Janjaweed militias, has been at war against the Sudanese military since mid-April, when months of tension exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and other urban areas.

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Dr. Abdul-Karim Elgoni, a Sudanese political commentator.