A United Nations political mission in conflict-ridden Sudan will end on Sunday. The decision to close the mission was made by the U.N. Security Council on Friday, following a request from Sudan's acting foreign minister last month.
Fourteen of the council's 15 members adopted Friday's resolution to end the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), while Russia abstained.
Sudan's military Government, whose forces have been battling the RSF militia for control of the country since April, has said that the UN mission was failing to meet expectations.
The conflict in Sudan escalated on April 15 when hostilities broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. This eruption followed weeks of heightened tension between the two factions regarding a proposed plan to integrate forces as part of the transition from military governance to civilian democracy. Presently, the country is one of the 10 most fragile African countries.
UNITAMS was established by the Security Council in June 2020 as a special political mission, to provide support to Sudan for an initial 12-month period during its political transition to democratic rule. Its mandate was subsequently extended in 2021 and 2022.
What the British U.N. Ambassador said:
"We reiterate that the Sudanese authorities remain responsible for the safety and security of UNITAMS staff and assets during this transition and call for their full cooperation in allowing an orderly withdrawal," Ambassador James Kariuki told the council.
Last month, a senior United Nations official sounded the alarm, stating that violence against civilians in Sudan is "verging on pure evil." The country is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis, marked by escalating ethnic violence in the western region of Darfur.
Despite the closure of the U.N. mission, a U.N. country team focused on providing humanitarian and development aid will continue to operate in Sudan. The U.N. estimates that nearly 25 million people, half of the population, require assistance in the country.
Following the vote to close the mission, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said the Organization stands with the Sudanese people.
Writing on her X page, Ms. DiCarlo stated "the Security Council just voted to close down UNITAMS, but the UN is not abandoning the Sudanese people."
"We urge full support for the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, to bolster efforts to bring the devastating conflict to an end," she added.
"We affirm the government's readiness to continue constructive engagement with the U.N. by strengthening cooperation with a country team," Dafallah Alhaj, an envoy to Sudan's army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, told the council.
The instability has affected Sudan's economic growth and the World Bank's prediction for Sudan has been lowered downward by 12.5 percentage points due to the harm done to the nation's industrial foundation, as well as its educational and medical infrastructure, by the armed conflict.
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