Tonton
Since that time, the nation has not had a civilian-led administration.
An agreement between the military and some significant civilian political stakeholders was signed in December 2022 as a result of a subsequent political process that was jointly facilitated by the United Nations, the African Union, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). This agreement served to launch efforts aimed at restoring a credible democratic civilian government.
In addition, the country’s economy has faltered, and armed conflict has escalated, costing citizens their lives and destroying their homes, particularly in the Darfur region and the South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.
Complex challenges
Sudan must address urgent humanitarian and economic needs, ensure security, justice, and respect for human rights, broker peace, and advance the democratic transition, to name a few of the many problems it faces.
Despite this, the political process continued to advance at the start of the year after the political framework agreement was signed in December 2022, with efforts concentrated on resolving outstanding concerns that would pave the way for a definitive political accord.
Volker Perthes, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan, claimed in March that parties in Sudan were “closer than they have ever been” to a resolution and the restoration of a civilian government.
Fresh clashes derail political talks
Those hopes were dashed on April 15 when fighting broke out between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Lieutenant General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan.
Humanitarian needs in the Sudan had already risen to historic levels before the current violence started, with 15.8 million people — or roughly a third of the population — in need of aid this year. Recent violence has resulted in severe shortages of food, water, medication, and fuel, and the cost of necessities, such as transportation, has risen.
More than a million refugees and those seeking asylum are also housed in the nation, including those from South Sudan, Eritrea, Syria, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Yemen. The parties have been urged by Secretary-General António Guterres to immediately halt hostilities and permit all civilians to flee conflict-affected areas.
The UN in Sudan
Through the efforts of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), a special political mission led by Special Representative Perthes, the UN has been assisting the transition of Sudan to democracy.
The UN has promised to continue its lifesaving work with its personnel, both inside and outside the country, focused on the immediate priorities of a sustained ceasefire with a monitoring mechanism, a return to political negotiations, and the alleviation of human suffering. This is true even though hundreds of UN staff members and their families have been temporarily relocated within Sudan or evacuated outside of Sudan.
