Sudan’s ‘crisis of epic proportions’ fueled by weapons from foreign supporters, UN warns

The year-old war in Sudan has triggered “a crisis of epic proportions” fueled by material support from foreign supporters who continue to flout United Nations sanctions, top United Nations and African Union officials warned on Friday (19 April).
That the rival generals vying for power in Sudan “have been able to sustain their confrontation, it is in no small part thanks to the material support they receive from outside the Sudan,” the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peace-building Affairs, Rosemary Anne DiCarlo, said as she briefed the Security Council. “These external actors continue to flout the sanctions regime imposed by the Council to support a political settlement, thereby fueling the conflict. This is illegal, it is immoral and it must stop,” DiCarlo added. The sanctions regime imposed on Sudan by the resolution 1591 includes an embargo on arms and ammunition as well as asset freezes.
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, chair of the African Union panel on Sudan and high representative for its Silence the Guns in Africa initiative, denounced “external support in terms of supply of war materiel and other needs,” calling it “a major factor compounding both the efforts to negotiate a cease-fire and to stop the war.” However, neither DiCarlo nor Chambas named any of the foreign supporters. DiCarlo said the UN stands ready to double down on efforts with its multilateral partners, including the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority for Development, the League of Arab States, to help end hostilities and foster inclusive and effective international mediation.