United Nations Security Council Resolution 2736 – Reports of the Secretary-General on the Sudan and South Sudan
Resolution 2736 (2024)
The Security Council,
Reaffirming all its previous resolutions, presidential statements and press statements concerning the situation in Sudan, and reiterating its strong commitment to the sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Sudan,
Expressing deep concern at the outbreak of fighting in El Fasher with the potential for further escalation and the risk of harm to civilians, most of whom need urgent humanitarian assistance and protection,
Expressing grave concern over the spreading violence, including credible reports of ethnically motivated violence, including inter alia the violence perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces in and around El Fasher, and in El Geneina in West Darfur between 24 April and 19 June 2023, condemning the use of all force in populated areas against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure, including attacks on medical and humanitarian facilities, reaffirming the obligations of all parties to the conflict under international humanitarian law, including with regard to respecting and protecting civilians and taking constant care to spare civilian objects including such objects critical to the delivery of essential services to the civilian population, and with regard to refraining from attacking, destroying, removing or rendering useless objects that are indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, as well as respecting and protecting humanitarian personnel and consignments used for humanitarian relief operations, and urging all parties to the conflict to protect civilian infrastructure, which is critical to the delivery of humanitarian aid, including for the provision of essential services in line with resolution 2573 (2021),
Expressing alarm at the ongoing reports of violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights, including cases of sexual and gender-based violence, and calling for accountability for such violations,
Expressing concern over the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation, including crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity, and the imminent risk of famine, particularly in Darfur,
Noting the need for full, rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained cross-border and cross-line humanitarian assistance into Darfur, and other conflict affected areas, urging the Sudanese authorities to allow and facilitate humanitarian access for UN agencies and other humanitarian actors, urging the parties to the conflict to ensure humanitarian assistance safely reaches those in need, and welcoming in this regard the recent commitment by Sudanese authorities to facilitate access, including visa and travel authorizations,
Condemning the looting of humanitarian stockpiles, expressing concern at the increasing mobilization of armed groups or militia, and calling on all sides to exercise strict command and control on their forces,
Recognizing the importance of de-escalatory measures and the role of local dispute resolution and ceasefire efforts in Darfur, in line with Sudanese -led and Sudanese-owned peacebuilding and peacemaking efforts, and encouraging the parties to the conflict to empower Sudanese elders and community leaders to secure local conflict mitigation and ceasefire arrangements including monitoring, coordination, and liaison mechanisms,
- Demands that the Rapid Support Forces halt the siege of El Fasher; and calls for an immediate halt to the fighting and for de-escalation in and around El Fasher, and further calls for the withdrawal of all fighters that threaten the safety and security of civilians, with the support of local mediation mechanisms, where appropriate;
2. Demands that all parties to the conflict ensure the protection of civilians, including by allowing civilians wishing to move within and out of El Fasher to safer areas to do so, and recalling that all civilians must be protected in accordance with international law, and requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Sudanese authorities and regional stakeholders, to make further recommendations for the protection of civilians in Sudan, building on the existing mediation and good offices mechanisms;
3. Calls for the full implementation of the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, and requests that parties to the conflict allow and facilitate the rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, including by removing bureaucratic and other impediments, the rapid provision of the required visas and travel authorizations for humanitarian personnel and essential supplies, notes the measures taken by the Sudanese authorities in this regard and urges their further cooperation, reiterates itscalls for all parties to work in close partnership with UN agencies and other humanitarian actors to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches those in need and, with the prior agreement and coordination of the Sudanese authorities, calls for them to reopen the Adre border crossing for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and further calls for the parties to withdraw fighters as necessary to enable agricultural activities throughout the planting season to avoid compounding the risk of famine;
4. Underscores the urgency of addressing the funding shortfall of the Humanitarian Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plan and encourages Member States, international donors and partners to ensure that all pledges are honored in full and in a timely manner, and to step up contributions to enable the scaling-up of humanitarian assistance needed to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation;
5. Demands that all parties to the conflict comply with their obligations under international law, including international human rights law, as applicable, and international humanitarian law including with regard to the conduct of hostilities and the protection of civilians and civilian objects, recalling that civilian facilities, including hospitals, medical facilities, schools, places of worship, and facilities of the UN, as well as humanitarian personnel, and UN and associated personnel, including national and locally recruited personnel, as well as medical personnel, and their means of transport, must be respected and protected, in accordance with international humanitarian law;
6. Calls on all Member States to refrain from external interference which seeks to foment conflict and instability and instead to support efforts for a durable peace, and reminds all parties to the conflict and Member States who facilitate the transfers of arms and military material to Darfur of their obligations to comply with the arms embargo measures as stipulated in paragraphs 7 and 8 of resolution 1556 (2004), and reiterates that those who violate the arms embargo may be designated for targeted measures in accordance with paragraph 3 (c) of resolution 1591 (2005);
7. Calls on the parties to the conflict to seek an immediate cessation of hostilities, leading to a sustainable resolution to the conflict, through dialogue, with the continued support of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Sudan Ramtane Lamamra and the African Union High-Level Panel on Sudan;
8. Encourages the coordinated engagement of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Sudan Ramtane Lamamra, with the African Union, the League of Arab States and other key regional actors, to help advance peace and an inclusive and comprehensive Sudanese-led political process, with the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women, that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people;
9. Requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of all elements of this resolution within his regular updates as stipulated in resolution 2715 (2023);
10. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
Adopted by the Security Council at its 9655th meeting, on 13 June 2024
