Statement by Ms. Shayna Lewis
at the UN Security Council Ministerial on Sudan
19 December 2024
This statement was made by Ms. Shayna Lewis, Sudan Specialist and Senior Advisor at PAEMA, at the United Nations Security Council Ministerial on Sudan.
President, Excellencies,
Thank you for the opportunity to brief you today on the urgent need for this council to adopt a resolution on civilian protection in Sudan. My name is Shayna Lewis, I am the Sudan Specialist and Senior Advisor with PAEMA.
Civilian protection relies on the belief that a system like this body can and will ensure safety. But belief is a fragile thing. If this body cannot do more to protect the people of Sudan it won’t just be their lives at stake...it will be the very credibility of this council and its members as well.
The scenes of brutality keep many of us awake at night. Earlier this year, I collected the testimony of a young Darfuri woman who was gang raped in her home. Her father beat against the door of the room she was trapped in, trying to save his baby girl. In return, the RSF troops shot him dead – for daring to protect her.
Much like this brave father, this esteemed council has the chance to save the lives of Sudanese women and boys, girls and men.
Over decades, this very council developed rich policy on civilian protection, yet the international community has failed the people of Sudan across 20 months of war. Footage abounds of forms of brutality that defies human consciousness and that no person should have to bear witness to, but this council must – must demonstrate through action that the imperrilled lives of 49 million Sudanese will not be abandoned to the whims of armed men.
There are some in this chamber who claim that any UN action to protect civilians would violate Sudan’s sovereignty. Indeed, we heard this argument when the Russian delegation vetoed the Sudan resolution last month.[1] But sovereignty comes with responsibility – the responsibility to protect civilians. It is not a blank check to conduct war crimes. If Sudan’s de-facto authorities are unwilling and unable to fulfil this paramount responsibility, this council is required to act in accordance with its mandate.
Make no mistake, this is a war against the people of Sudan, especially Sudanese youth who dared to stand up in the face of 30 years of oppression – dared to dream of a future defined by freedom, peace, and justice. For daring to speak truth to power, the people of Sudan are now suffering amidst the trifecta of the world’s largest displacement, food insecurity, and protection crises – all due to a war that by some estimates has taken the lives of over 150,000 civilians[2].
Meanwhile, external backers that continue to finance and benefit from the death, rape, and starvation of Sudanese must be held to account through sanctions. These backers, including the United Arab Emirates,[3] must not be allowed to profit from Sudan’s smuggled and blood-drenched gold.[4] Members of this council with strong ties to these external backers must demonstrate that they value the lives of Sudanese civilians over partnerships with maligned actors. To do so would not require innovation from this council, but the will to protect civilians in Sudan by not only enforcing the existing arms embargo and sanctions regime, but expanding it.[5]
President, Excellencies,
I do not envy your task of upholding international peace and security within this challenging geopolitical climate. Yet in Sudan, we are not facing a lack of options, rather a lack of ambition. The Secretary General’s recommendations for the protection of civilians were most welcome.[6] However, many in civil society felt that they failed to match the severity of the crisis in Sudan.
Let me be clear, it is the lack of a nationwide ceasefire that demands that this Council takes action to protect civilians in Sudan.
The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court believes that the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces have committed atrocity crimes in Sudan.[7] Though we must be careful to not draw a false equivalency between the actions of the RSF and SAF, any and all commissioning of atrocities must be condemned and stopped.
Earlier this month, the Sudanese Armed Forces conducted airstrikes on a market in Kabkabiya, North Darfur, killing over 100 people.[8] Meanwhile, the atrocities of the Rapid Support Forces stretch across the breadth of the country. The UAE-backed RSF is committing genocide in Darfur,[9] from Ardamata to El Geneina,[10] Kutum[11] to El Fasher[12], and now they are cleansing famine-stricken Zamzam: Sudan’s largest camp for internally displaced people.[13] The RSF is attempting to finish the genocide that began over 20 years ago – and the RSF is succeeding.
We must do more to address these threats against Sudanese civilians. One of the greatest threats is the ongoing telecommunications blackout. Over 30 million civilians have been unable to access the internet and phone lines for almost 12 months, leaving them severed from the outside world.[14] This council should send an independent technical assessment team to create a plan to repair, restore and protect networks across Sudan.[15]
President, Excellencies,
You have the power to break the blackout in Sudan and stop the belligerents from hiding their atrocities.
It is Sudanese civilians and civil society that keep eyes on Sudan. The international community must urgently support Sudanese civil society in safe documentation for accountability. Though the RSF and SAF consented to self-compliance mechanisms, they continue to commit serious rights violations. This council risks complicity if it allows belligerents to set their own standards for civilian protection. General Burhan and Hemedti will never hold themselves accountable, which is why this council must support the work of the International Criminal Court and the Independent Fact-Finding Mission.
Crucially, this council must stop ignoring the recommendations of the UN’s own investigation by upholding the Fact-Finding Mission’s recommendation for the deployment of “an independent and impartial force with a mandate to protect civilians in Sudan”.[16] This Council in partnership with the African Union must also consider a remote monitoring mission for Sudan which would be a fraction of the cost of previous physical deployments and would prevent further atrocities through early warning and early action systems.
If civilians are not dying from a bullet or bombs from the sky, they are dying from preventable famine. Though concerted negotiations have secured progress in humanitarian access, the aid trickling into Sudan is only delaying death, not saving lives.[17] Whilst the UN continues to negotiate unimpeded access, donors must immediately scale-up funding to the Sudanese humanitarian response.
President, Excellencies,
I implore us all to not forget the future of Sudan. Over half of the displaced population are children[18] and hundreds of thousands are missing out on essential early-childhood vaccinations.[19] 19 million Sudanese children have not sat in a classroom since the outbreak of this war[20] and though the postponed national exams are due to take place on December 28th, many will not be able to take them.[21] We are at risk of losing an entire generation.
The world will not remember the geopolitical excuses, the world will remember the hundreds of thousands of lives lost, the genocide that occurred on our watch yet again.
Without your action to protect civilians, the youth-led vision of peace, justice, and freedom will remain a distant dream. Sudan’s advancements towards civilian leadership are at risk of being destroyed.
Sudanese youth have peacefully demonstrated and died for these freedoms since 2018 and today continue to risk their lives whilst providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to their communities through emergency response rooms and other grassroots initiatives. They are the beacon of hope of Sudan and you have the power to save their lives.
Thank you
[1] Damilola Banjo, “Why Russia Vetoed a Recent UN Ceasefire Resolution for Sudan,” Pass Blue, 1 December 2024. https://www.passblue.com/2024/12/01/why-russia-vetoed-a-recent-un-ceasefire-resolution-for-sudan/
[2] Kalkidan Yibeltal & Basillioh Rukanga, “Sudan death toll far higher than previously reported - study,” BBC, 14 November 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crln9lk51dro
[3] Reade Levinson and David Lewis, “Dozens of UAE flights head to airstrip UN says supplies arms to Sudan rebels,” Reuters, 12 December 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/uae-flights-flood-airstrip-un-says-supplies-weapons-sudan-rebels-2024-12-12/
[4] Declan Walsh, “The Gold Rush at the Heart of a Civil War,” New York Times, 11 December 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/world/africa/sudan-gold-rush-heart-civil-war.html
[5] United Nations Security Council, Resolution 1591 (2005), S/RES/1591 (2005) https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=S%2FRES%2F1591%2520(2005)&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop&LangRequested=False
[6] United Nations, " 'It is Time for Decisive Action for Peace' in Sudan, Secretary-General Stresses to Security Council, Outlining 'On-The-Ground' Recommendations", 28 October 2024. https://press.un.org/en/2024/sgsm22427.doc.htm
[7] United Nations, “Reasonable Grounds to Believe Sudanese, Opposition Forces Committing Atrocity Crimes in Darfur, International Criminal Court Prosecutor Tells Security Council,” 29 January 2024. https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15573.doc.html
[8] Carlos Mureithi, “Airstrike on North Darfur market kills more than 100, says Sudan lawyers’ group,” The Guardian, 10 December 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/10/airstrike-north-darfur-market-kills-people-sudan
Amnesty International, “Sudan: SAF airstrike on crowded market a flagrant war crime,” 12 December 2024. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/sudan-armed-forces-saf-killed-dozens-in-an-air-strike-on-a-crowded-market-in-the-rapid-support-forces-rsf-controlled-town-of-kabkabiya-in-north-darfur/
[9] Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Breaches of the Genocide Convention in Darfur, Sudan (April 2023-April 2024): An Independent Inquiry, 14 April 2024. https://raoulwallenbergcentre.org/images/reports/International-Inquiry-Breaches-of-the-Genocide-Convention-temp2.pdf
[10] United Nations Security Council, “Final report of the Panel of Experts on the Sudan,” 15 January 2024, S/2024/65.
[11] Maud Jullien, Bashar Deeb, Jack Sapoch, Lucy Provan, Klaas van Dijken, Yousra Elbagir, Sam Doak, Katharine Houreld, Hafiz Haroun, Mehmet Akgün, Shay Notelovitz, Ariadne Papagapitos, Tessa Pang, “The Kutum Massacre,” Lighthouse Reports, 9 September 2024. https://www.lighthousereports.com/investigation/the-kutum-massacre/
[12] Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, Statement by Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, on the escalation of the situation in El Fasher, North Darfur, 20 September 2024. https://www.globalr2p.org/resources/statement-by-special-adviser-on-the-prevention-of-genocide-on-the-escalation-in-el-fasher/
[13] Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab, Zamzam IDP Attacked: Confirmation of Munition Impacts Between 1-3 December 2024, 3 December 2024. https://files-profile.medicine.yale.edu/documents/1f9a90aa-6b8f-455f-a145-e368dfe682f8
[14] Guido Lanfranchi, Moneera Yassien & Ahmed Elmurtada, “Internet Lifeline Sudan: Ensuring unhindered internet access is key to helping the Sudanese people survive war,” (April 2024). https://www.clingendael.org/sites/default/files/CA_Internet_Lifeline_Sudan_Alert_0.pdf
[15] Shayna Lewis and Lauren Fortgang, Commitment to Protect: Recommendations for the Protection of Civilians in Sudan, PAEMA, 22 October 2024. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/66ad0be8ed0f4b24dda66a3a/t/6717f9bd36f942652a4f08f0/1729624510394/Commitment+to+Protect.pdf
[16] UN Human Rights Council, “Report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan,” 5 September 2024.
[17] Norwegian Refugee Council, “Sudan: World ignores countdown to famine,” 22 November 2024. https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/november/sudan-world-ignores-countdown-to-famine/#:~:text=As%20we%20struggle%20to%20keep,to%20change%20on%20the%20ground.
[18] IOM, DTM SUDAN MOBILITY UPDATE (11), 26 November 2024. https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=08ea1fcd06d54dbae76c0aead&id=3bccf1ca1f
[19] UNICEF, Gavi, Save the Children and UNICEF collaborate to strengthen immunization services in Sudan, 2 December 2024. https://www.unicef.org/sudan/press-releases/gavi-save-children-and-unicef-collaborate-strengthen-immunization-services-sudan#:~:text=Current%20state%20of%20immunisation%20in%20Sudan&text=The%20situation%20has%20been%20exacerbated,and%20pertussis%2Dcontaining%20vaccines).
[20] UNICEF, 19 million children in Sudan out of school as conflict rages on – UNICEF, Save the Children, 9 October 2024. https://www.unicef.org/sudan/press-releases/19-million-children-sudan-out-school-conflict-rages-unicef-save-children
[21] Dabanga, “Postponed Sudan school exams scheduled for December in Egypt,” Radio Dabanga, 29 November 2024. https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/postponed-sudan-school-exams-scheduled-for-december-in-egypt