UN Security Council unanimously extends Sudan sanctions for one month

The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution today to extend the sanctions regime on Sudan for one month, following weeks of stalled negotiations over expanding the arms embargo to cover the entire country rather than just Darfur.

According to Asharq, the resolution extends UN sanctions on Sudan until October 9 and prolongs the mandate of the UN panel of experts until November 9.

The resolution also reaffirmed the Security Council’s strong commitment to Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, noting that the situation in Sudan continues to pose a threat to international peace and security in the region.

The Security Council first imposed Darfur-related sanctions under Resolution 1591 in March 2005, expanding the arms embargo to include parties to the N'Djamena ceasefire agreement and other conflict actors in North, South, and West Darfur. The resolution also established a sanctions committee and a panel of experts to monitor implementation and report on violations.

The sanctions regime also includes travel bans and asset freezes for individuals listed under the sanctions, with later amendments expanding listing criteria to include entities.

Commenting on the decision, Amjad Farid Al-Tayeb, adviser to the chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, said: "The real question, away from misleading diplomatic language, is: after what happened in El-Obeid, what would have happened to civilians there if the Sudanese army did not have enough weapons to repel Rapid Support Forces attacks? We saw the answer in El-Fasher: when the ability to defend collapses, the militia enters, and massacres, displacement, and looting begin."

Sudanese diplomatic sources told Asharq ahead of the Security Council session that discussion of the US draft resolution to expand the arms embargo to all Sudanese territory—proposed by US presidential adviser for Arab and African affairs, Masad Boulos—was postponed to a future session to allow more time for negotiations and to build further support, amid concerns that Russia and China might veto the measure.