UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has urged all warring parties in Sudan to implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, emphasising that the ongoing violence is inflicting immense suffering on the Sudanese people.
“We urge all parties to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access,” Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said in the 15-member Council’s debate on the situation in Sudan.
The Security Council convened as the continuing fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) further worsened an already-dire humanitarian situation, Pakistan’s state-run news agency APP reported on Saturday.
War began in mid-April 2023 when former allies SAF and RSF turned against each other alongside affiliated militias.
Vast swaths of fertile farmland have been destroyed, famine has been officially declared in multiple regions—including camps like Zamzam in North Darfur —and essential infrastructure, most notably hospitals and clinics, have been systematically damaged, abandoned, or seized by fighting forces.
Ambassador Jadoon voiced Pakistan’s “deep concern” at the continued suffering of civilians as a result of large-scale displacement, destruction of critical infrastructure, as well as challenges being faced in the aid operations.
“We stand with our Sudanese brothers and sisters in this difficult time,” he said.
“The international community must act to seek a peaceful resolution of the crisis to prevent further deterioration of the prevailing grave situation,” the Pakistani envoy said, warning that any deliberate obstruction of humanitarian assistance and attacks on civilians constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law (IHL).
Pakistan’s UN envoy highlighted that Sudan’s 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan, which seeks $4.16 billion to assist 20.9 million people, is currently only around 10–14 percent funded. He called for urgent action to “fulfil critical funding gaps,” describing recent aid cuts by major donors as “indefensible.”
“We call on the international community to fulfil critical funding gaps,” he added.
“Most important is to have a political process that is inclusive and addresses comprehensively the various dimensions of the situation, to bring about a lasting solution.”
“Lastly,” Ambassador Jadoon added, “Pakistan reaffirms its support for the unity, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Sudan.”
At the outset, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, said, “For too long, the conflict in Sudan has gravely imperiled the lives of Sudanese civilians.”
She noted that the focus of the fighting has shifted to the Darfur and Kordofan regions, with El Obeid in north Kordofan emerging as a key flashpoint.
Voicing concern about the use of advanced weaponry, including long-range drones, which has expanded hostilities in previously stable areas, she urged that “de-escalation is urgently needed”, warning that this trend is likely to intensify during the rainy season as movement on the ground becomes more difficult.
