A3+ Statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Mozambique at the adoption of the Security Council Resolution on the situation in El Fasher, Northern Darfur (Sudan)

Thank You Mr. President,

I am delivering this Explanation of Vote on behalf of the A3+ members, namely Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone and my own Country Mozambique.

We wish at the outset to express our appreciation to the United Kingdom for the efforts deployed during the negotiations to craft this text which accommodates an important part of A3+ concerns.

Our vote in favor of this draft resolution reflects the conviction that the Council must respond swiftly to the alarming situation in El Fasher where the Rapid Support Forces are holding the city hosting hundreds of thousands of civilians, under untenable siege and committing unspeakable violations in the nearby cities and villages.

The RSF acts did not spare civilian infrastructure, medical and humanitarian facilities. The recent attack against a medical facility of the Humanitarian NGO Médecins Sans Frontières  (MSF) is an example of these grave violations.

It is therefore imperative that the RSF halt their siege of El Fasher and that the parties engage in de-escalation and ensure the protection of civilians.

In this connection, we look forward to the consultation to be undertaken by the Secretary General with the Sudanese Government and the regional stakeholders to make recommendations on the protection of civilians.

This crucial endeavor must build on the existing mediation and good offices mechanisms with a view to formulating adequate and realistic recommendations.

On this note, we wish to be clear on an important detail. Mentioning “The Sudanese authorities” in the text refers only and solely to “the Sudanese Government”.

Colleagues,

The call in the operative paragraph on member States to refrain from external interferences is to be strongly emphasized.

In this regard, we remind those who facilitate the transfer of arms and military materiel to Darfur, in support of one of the parties to the conflict, of their clear obligations, as stipulated in the arms embargo measures in accordance with resolutions 1556 and 1591.

We believe that this resolution represents the strong will of the Council to take proactive steps to address  external interferences in the conflict in Sudan, with increased scrutiny of the negative role of foreign actors.

We therefore look forward to the report on the implementation of this resolution in the next updates to be submitted by the Secretary General.

We reiterate our call to denounce publicly and firmly the foreign interferences.

The Sudanese people don’t need more arms … They need Peace…. Let’s help them achieve it. We hope that those supporting one party against the other would join the legitimate endeavor for peace.

Mr. President,

On the humanitarian situation, we are extremely concerned by its continued deterioration and call on the parties to ensure unhindered access for humanitarian assistance through different border crossing points.

In the past two months alone, 8.8 million people have fled their homes; millions have no access to food and are suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

The healthcare system is collapsing. There are increased reports of horrific violence against women, girls and children and the number of reported fatalities has risen dramatically.

In this regard, we welcome the efforts made by the Sudanese authorities to improve the measures to facilitate humanitarian assistance, including opening different border crossing points and issuance of visa. Further and sustained efforts are encouraged in this regard.

The opening of additional border crossing points has to be under the direct authority of the Sudanese Government.

In closing, we express our hope that this resolution will contribute positively to de-escalate tensions and support the existing efforts towards bringing the parties to the table of dialogue and negotiations.

Peace must prevail in Sudan.

Thank You.