The United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed on Friday to extend the sanctions regime on Sudan for one month, a temporary measure following stalled negotiations over a proposal to expand the arms embargo to cover the entire country instead of just the Darfur region.
The resolution extends the UN sanctions until October 9, while the mandate of the UN expert panel is extended until November 9.
In its decision, the Security Council reaffirmed its strong commitment to Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, emphasizing that the situation in the country continues to pose a threat to international peace and security in the region.
Dispute Over Expanding Arms Embargo
The limited extension follows disagreements within the Security Council regarding a US effort to broaden the arms embargo to encompass all of Sudan rather than just Darfur.
US representative Jeffrey Barthos urged during the council session to expand the embargo, and called on the Sudanese military and Rapid Support Forces to cease hostilities and facilitate humanitarian aid access.
Barthos stated, “The Sudanese military and Rapid Support Forces must agree to an unconditional humanitarian truce.”
Conversely, Sudan’s UN ambassador Al-Harith Idrees declared that his country would continue to oppose any attempts to broaden the scope of the sanctions.
Postponement of US Proposal
Sudanese diplomatic sources told 'Asharq' that discussion of the US proposal to expand the arms embargo to all Sudanese territory has been postponed to a future session, allowing further negotiations among council members to gather support for the project.
According to sources, concerns emerged that Russia or China might veto the project.
They added that linking the US proposal to Resolution 1591 sparked disputes within the council, amid fears that a veto could complicate the continuation of the existing sanctions system, opposed by several countries.
Sanctions Dating Back to 2005
The Security Council enacted the sanctions system related to Darfur under Resolution 1591 in March 2005, expanding the arms embargo to include parties to the N'Djamena ceasefire agreement and other conflict parties in Darfur states.
The resolution also established a sanctions committee and an expert panel to monitor implementation and gather information on violations.
Sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes for individuals on the list, with criteria later extended to include entities.
Khartoum Rejects Sanctions Expansion
Commenting on the controversy, Amjad Farid Al-Tayeb, an advisor to Sudan’s Sovereignty Council Chairman, criticized calls to expand the arms embargo, citing developments in El Obeid and El Fasher.
He questioned via the “X” platform what would have happened to civilians in El Obeid, he argued, if the Sudanese military lacked adequate arms to counter Rapid Support Forces’ attacks.
Al-Tayeb considered the events in El Fasher a model for what can occur when defensive capabilities collapse.
The one-month extension grants Security Council members additional time to negotiate the future of the sanctions regime, while the dispute continues over whether the arms embargo will remain confined to Darfur or be extended to all of Sudan.