WASHINGTON
The continued supply of increasingly deadly weapons is fueling the devastating war in Sudan, and those enabling the conflict will be held accountable, a senior UN official warned Monday.
“The continued supply of weapons – increasingly sophisticated and deadly -- remains a key driver of the conflict. Sudan is saturated with arms,” Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the UN Security Council. “Calls to end these flows have gone unheeded, and there has been no accountability.”
“Meanwhile, the parties remain unwilling to compromise or de-escalate. While they were able to stop fighting to preserve oil revenues, they have so far failed to do the same to protect their population,” he added.
He stressed the need for strong Security Council action as mediation efforts continue.
“We urge the Council to send a clear and united message: those who enable this war will be held accountable,” Khiari said.
He cited recent violence in the Kordofan region, including a Dec. 4 drone attack that hit a kindergarten and later a hospital, killing more than 100 people, including 63 children, calling civilian suffering “immense” and “unimaginable.”
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been at war with the Sudanese army since April 2023, following the collapse of a transition toward civilian rule. On Oct. 26 of this year, RSF forces overran El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, after a 500-day siege, triggering mass displacement and leaving civilians trapped with little access to food.