UN to End Political Mission in Sudan Amid War
-
Hashim Sheikh
- . December 1, 2023
- . Update: December 1, 2023 3:37 pm
After failing to end the war in Sudan, the UN is set to end its political mission UNITAMS in the country. The situation in Sudan has spiraled out of control, amid fears of an ethnic war. The current conflict is between Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan-led Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).
Sudan terminated the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission last month because of lack of progress and a need for a new form of cooperation with the international body. Al-Harith Idriss, Sudanese Ambassador to the UN, told the UN Security Council that the political mission is not performing to expectations, despite the government’s repeated calls for a review of its mandate and future tasks.
He highlighted that the current conditions in Sudan have fundamentally changed the circumstances that led to the request to establish the mission. Acknowledging the same, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the purpose of establishing the mission was to assist the transitional government of Sudan after the December 2018 revolution. He added that the mission’s performance in implementing its objectives was disappointing.
RSF Target Killings in Sudan
The RSF has been accused of targeting the black African Masalit tribe. Reports say around 1,300 people, mostly civilians belonging to the black African Masalit tribe, were slaughtered by the RSF and its allied Arab militias over three days at the beginning of November.
Human rights monitors say this practice of targeting witnesses to atrocities has been used as a tactic by militias in Sudan since 2019 as a way of hiding evidence, escaping accountability and cementing control. Ahmed Hajar, a lawyer and activist, said lawyers and human rights defenders investigating the cases at Krinding have been targeted by the RSF and its allied militias. They revenge attacks and killings had taken place against anyone who had evidence of what happened during the 2019 massacres at the camp.
Keep Reading
US Rages Over North Korea’s Spy Satellite Photos
Did the UK Abandon Afghan Refugees in Pakistan?
Sudan on the Edge
A senior UN official said violence against civilians in Sudan is verging on pure evil. He added that the humanitarian crisis is worsening and ethnic violence is escalating in the western region of Dafur. Adam Rigal, a spokesman for displaced people and refugees in Darfur, said the situation in the country has gone from bad to disastrous. He warned of a total collapse and imminent famine in the region.
With the UN political mission leaving Sudan, the war-torn country will further be isolated. Lack of international engagement will push it deeper.
