Why the UN isn’t Dropping Boots in Sudan Anytime Soon
NAIROBI, Kenya – The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has voiced concerns over the viability of dispatching UN Forces to Sudan. He has implored the Security Council to safeguard civilians amidst the turmoil.
The UN Security Council has the heavy task of deciding when and where to send peacekeeping forces. However, they haven’t made a move in five years as the conflict heats up in the Horn of Africa.
“Sudan’s people are enduring horrendous violence—thousands slain, and many more suffering unspeakable atrocities, including pervasive sexual violence,” Guterres confided to the 15-member council.
The battle for control between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) has caused widespread displacement since the previous year.
“It’s turning into a grim echo of the ethnic violence nightmare from Darfur two decades earlier,” Guterres noted, recalling when former Sudanese leaders were taken to court on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.
This dreadful war is sparking ethnically charged violence, much of it attributed to the RSF. Activists reported that 124 individuals met a grim fate in El Gezira State village recently, marking one of the most blood-soaked days in the conflict.
Finger-pointing is rife, with both factions accusing the other of heinous acts, neither side warmed to the idea of peace talks, even as the UN urges a ceasefire in Sudan. The ongoing violence leaves thousands uprooted and many more perishing.
Guterres acknowledged that Sudanese citizens and human rights organizations demand stronger civilian protections, even hinting at the need for an unbiased force, revealing “just how serious and urgent the screams for help are.”
“As it stands, conditions aren’t ripe for effectively deploying UN forces to shelter Sudan’s civilians,” he informed the council but expressed his openness to seek alternative solutions to curb the bloodshed and protect innocents.
“New, tailored approaches must be explored to adapt to the unpredictable nature of the conflict,” suggested Guterres.
A palpable sense of urgency is in the air, with nearly 25 million individuals barely clinging on, and 11 million searching for relief in nearby nations, some finding refuge in Ethiopia, Chad, and South Sudan.
“This crisis isn’t just about tight purse strings. Scarcity stems from barriers to aid,” commented U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Expressing Washington’s concerns, Thomas-Greenfield indicated Sudanese leadership stonewalls humanitarian efforts, citing obstruction and harassment. She emphasized the necessity to expand and standardize humanitarian passageways.
“There must be prolongation for border transparencies at Adre, along with opening new passages and access points, plus facilitating airport usage for aid purposes,” she pressed further.
Sudan is on a rocky path, trying to regain stability post-civilian uproar, which served as a spark for military usurpation. The Transition Council still hasn’t handed over authority to civilians, a task tangled by internal military power struggles.
AXADLETM
