Statement delivered by H.E. Amar Bendjama, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the UN, on behalf of the A3+, at Security Council Briefing on the Situation in Sudan

Madam President,

I have the honor to deliver this joint statement on behalf of the A3+, namely Guyana, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and my country, Algeria.

We wish to thank the Secretary General for his briefing, through which he rightly reaffirmed the gravity of the situation in Sudan. We also appreciate his tireless efforts through his Personal Envoy to bring the parties to dialogue. We welcome the participation of the Permanent Representative of Sudan to this meeting.

Madam President,

It is difficult to find the accurate words to describe the appalling situation in Sudan and to express our sentiment of inability to provide the Sudanese people with the right responses on the ground, whilst civilians continue to bear shocking patterns of the carnage in Sudan. We therefore strongly condemn the continued violence committed against civilians.

Several products were adopted by this same Council to push for a peaceful solution. Unfortunately, they did not have the desired effect on the ground.

The renewed clashes in Khartoum and El Fasher, particularly the attacks launched by the RSF against this city, are a blatant example of the disregard demonstrated not only towards this Council, but also towards the international community.

More than 18 months after the conflict began, we are yet to see a modicum of demonstration of willingness from the parties to commit to a ceasefire and engage in a meaningful political process.

The humanitarian situation remains dire with several disease outbreaks, including Cholera and Malaria, in addition to the consequences of the recent floods on more than 100 thousand people.

The impact of this conflict is even more appalling on women, girls and children who are subjected to rape, abduction and mistreatment. While we observe the WPS month under the able Swiss presidency, we wish to pay tribute to all the Sudanese women who are showing unprecedented levels of resilience and courage. This must spur us to redouble our efforts to urgently relieve them of the abhorrent suffering they continue to endure.

Madam President, 

Civilians in Sudan must be protected and each life lost is one too many. We therefore welcome the report presented by the Secretary General on the recommendations for the protection of civilians. In this regard, we wish to underline the following:

First, we have to identify the basis for a durable solution. Convincing the parties to commit to a ceasefire has to be our ultimate priority. This goal however, must allow for contribution from all regional and international actors, driven by fairness, goodwill and international law.

Be it local or national, a ceasefire is imperative and we are convinced that wisdom and restraint still have a place in Sudan.

Acknowledging that the primary responsibility to protect civilians lies with the Government of Sudan and all the parties in conflict, our Council could contribute, in coordination with the relevant national stakeholders in Sudan, by providing the needed support to monitor any eventual ceasefire agreement and to ensure that commitments are honored and respected.

Second, any endeavor for the protection of civilians has to go in line with accountability mechanisms to end the impunity and to bring the perpetrators of atrocities, crimes and all types of violations to justice.

We reiterate, in this regard, our call for the public and firm condemnation of foreign interferences.

Third, the Sudanese parties will have to demonstrate a greater commitment to the respect of international humanitarian law and the principles of human rights. The announced unilateral commitments that have not been translated into concrete actions cannot be considered.

We seize this opportunity to strongly condemn the horrific violations perpetrated by the RSF last Friday in Al Sireha village, where at least 124 civilians were killed.

The images we have seen during the last two days are just appalling and represent another example of the absence of any notion of respect of international law or a code of conduct in the modus operandi of the perpetrators.

We call on the parties to demonstrate some signs of responsibility by avoiding at least fighting in the residential areas to spare civilian and innocent lives.     

Lastly, and by no means the least, coordination will have to be our key word in any endeavor for the protection of civilians in Sudan. Coordination is necessary at the international and regional levels between the multiple mediation mechanisms, while preserving the central role of the UN and the AU, and building on the Jeddah process. In this regard, we wish to express our support to the AU PSC Presidential ad hoc committee under the leadership of Uganda for the advancement of peace effort in Sudan.

Coordination is also important with the Sudanese Government to facilitate humanitarian access and sustain the measures taken in this regard. At this juncture, we welcome the financial contributions made to support the humanitarian response plan and call for the continuation of such commendable efforts.

Dear Colleagues,

We call once again on the Sudanese parties to care about the future of the Sudanese people and put the interest and the unity of their nation above all other considerations.

Thank You