UN Security Council extends Sudan sanctions until 2025

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously voted to extend the current sanctions against Sudan, which include asset freezes, travel bans, and an arms embargo, for another year. The motion was carried by the 15-member organ during the council’s 9721^st meeting in New York yesterday.

A statement by the UN press office confirms that resolution 2750 (2024) (to be issued as document S/RES/2750(2024)) under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, was carried unanimously, with a decision on their further renewal to be made no later than 12 September 2025.

Addressing the council, the representative of the USA, Ambassador Robert Wood, said that the people of Darfur continue to live in danger, desperation and despair. Every day they are faced with intensified fighting and restrictions on humanitarian aid, persistent human rights violations and mass displacement. “This adoption sends an important signal to them that the international community remains focused on their plight and is committed to advancing peace and security in Sudan and the region,” he stated. Further, renewing the sanctions measures will restrict the movement of arms into Darfur and sanction individuals and entities contributing to or complicit in catalysing activities in Sudan. “All of this is critical to helping end the escalating conflict, alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe and put Sudan back on the path to stability and security,” he emphasised.

Sudan

The representative of Sudan pointed to the ongoing attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Darfur, including medical facilities, carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) using heavy artillery and weapons banned under international law. “It is no secret that the United Arab Emirates has a key role in the ongoing existence of this crisis,” he stated, condemning Abu Dhabi’s role in supporting the militias and accusing it of profiting from the illegal exploitation of gold in the region. Further, he called for “clear measures” against businesses and companies headquartered in the United Arab Emirates that seek to sabotage Sudan’s economy.

In this context, he stressed the need for international pressure on the militias to compensate the Sudanese people for the losses they have inflicted through large-scale looting and widespread destruction. “All of this is considered by us as terrorism,” he emphasised. Against this backdrop, he urged “targeted sanctions” against the militias and the state that sponsors and supports them. Highlighting the dire humanitarian conditions, including internal displacement and refugee crises, he called for greater assistance from UN agencies and for a “strategic plan for peace” that considers Sudan’s concerns and will help exert pressure on the aggressors.

United Kingdom

The representative of the United Kingdom noted the recent UN fact-finding mission’s report of systematic human rights abuses by the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Both sides believe the solution to this conflict will be on the battleground, he observed, calling on states to refrain from enhancing either side’s fighting capability and instead use their influence to bring them to the negotiating table. In that regard, he welcomed today’s reaffirmation — through the resolution — of the need for the warring parties to protect civilians.

Korea

The representative of the Republic of Korea urged all warring parties and member states to comply with the arms embargo and cease serious violations of international humanitarian law. With the conflict spreading across Sudan, “the Council should work together to take more concrete measures” to effectively implement the renewed sanctions, he stressed. Calling for the sanctions regime to be “responsive to the evolving situation on the ground”, especially in light of the use of heavy weaponry and reports of sexual and gender-based violence, he advocated for “targeted measures” against those violating sanctions.

China

The representative of China said that his country supported the renewal of sanctions to help “stem the steady flow of illicit arms into the battlefield” and de-escalate the situation on the ground. Calling on the warring parties to put their countries’ and people’s interests first and respect international humanitarian law, he also voiced hope that member states will observe the arms embargo while respecting Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “Sanctions are a means, not an end,” he stressed, adding that the measures must neither replace diplomacy nor “become a tool of political pressurisation in the service of some countries”.

France

The representative of France condemned all violations committed in Sudan, regardless of the perpetrators, expressing concern about the atrocities of civilians in Darfur based on their ethnic affiliation. He called on all foreign actors to abstain from arming, financing or logistically supporting the parties.

Russia

The representative of the Russian Federation noted the complex situation surrounding El Fasher — the capital of Northern Darfur — where the SAF, with the support of the local population, continue to push back units affiliated with the RSF. Moscow believes these efforts by the government of Sudan will help bring long-awaited stability and restore order. External humanitarian actions to assist Sudan must be purely constructive and only be coordinated with the central authorities. The unanimously adopted resolution aims to stop destructive influence. The use of unilateral coercive measures and pressure by some states against the Sudanese side is unacceptable when there is a Council decision like today’s.

‘Peacekeeping force’

A report by the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission, published on Friday, accused Sudan’s warring parties of “an appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes…” and called for “an independent and impartial force with a mandate to safeguard civilians be deployed without delay.”

HRW

Prior to yesterday’s UNSC vote Human Rights Watch (HRW) HRW demanded the expansion of the arms embargo to the rest of Sudan to “secure the mechanisms necessary to conduct such investigations, hold violators to account, and prevent further acquisition of equipment that would likely be used to unlawfully harm civilians and perpetuate war crimes.”

HRW notes the report Fanning the Flames: Sudanese Warring Parties’ Access To New Foreign-Made Weapons and Equipment: “The emergence of visuals of equipment that Sudanese actors were not previously known to have, or that began to be used more frequently months after the outbreak of the conflict, suggests that the warring parties acquired some of these weapons after April 2023.”