Statement to be delivered by Amb. Amar BENDJAMA, Permanent Representative of Algeria
On behalf of the A3+ members
19 December 2024
Thank You President,
I have the honor to deliver this Statement on behalf of the A3+ members, namely Guyana, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and my own country Algeria.
We wish to thank the US Presidency for scheduling this important meeting to discuss the deeply concerning situation in Sudan.
We convey our thanks to USG Tom Fletcher for giving us deep insight into the humanitarian situation on the ground.
We listened carefully to the remarks made by Ms Shayna Lewis and Mr Saad Bahr El Din.
We welcome the participation of the Permanent Representatives of Sudan, Turkiye and Egypt to this meeting.
Mr. President,
The situation in Sudan has been an active dossier on our agenda since the start of the conflict, particularly during the year 2024, during which our Council deployed important efforts to contribute to the de-escalation of tensions and bring the parties to a ceasefire agreement.
Despite these sustained efforts, we are still witnessing a continued deterioration of the situation on the ground.
The latest reports on fighting in El Fasher, Khartoum, Al Jazirah and Sennar are appalling. Dozens of innocent civilians have been killed, and critical health infrastructures have been destroyed.
Additionally, the recent reports on of large-scale killings, abductions, rapes and attacks against civilians in South Kordofan by the Rapid Support Forces leaves us speechless.
Women and girls are, unfortunately, among the main targets. They are frequently subjected to unspeakable violations.
In this regard, we wish to commend the resilience of Sudanese women and we call for all perpetrators of human rights violations to be held accountable.
Mr. President,
The A3+ insists on the need to continue engaging constructively on the Sudanese file and wishes to underline the following:
First: an immediate ceasefire is imperative.
We reiterate our calls for the Sudanese parties to implement an immediate ceasefire without preconditions.
We cannot afford to lose more innocent civilians…. we cannot afford more displacements… more sexual violence…. food insecurity, destruction and instability in the region.
It is past time that all conflict parties engage in a meaningful, transparent and Sudanese-led political process while keeping the protection of civilians as their main and common objective.
Second: Engaging in diplomatic efforts in good faith.
A ceasefire depends primarily on the willingness of the Sudanese parties but also on the support of regional and international partners.
Our Council has to provide further support to good-faith diplomatic efforts while insisting on the coordination of these efforts and the preservation of the central role of the UN and the African Union.
In this regard, we welcome the organization of the 3rd Consultative meeting in Mauritania to coordinate regional and international diplomatic efforts.
Also, we look forward to the announcement of the next round of proximity talks between the Sudanese parties, which will be convened by the SG’s Personal Envoy in 2025. In this regard, we encourage the Sudanese parties to constructively engage in these mediation efforts.
Third : the need to continue facilitating humanitarian access.
The latest developments on the ground are deeply concerning for all of us due to their impact on the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the populations in need, particularly those forcibly displaced, trapped in areas of heavy fighting or in besieged cities such as El Fasher.
Despite the gloomy picture on the ground, we welcome the announcement by the Government of Sudan to open airports in El Obeid, Kadugli, and Ed Damazine for humanitarian flights and the establishment of humanitarian supply hubs at these locations.
We also welcome the WFP’s announcement on 22 November 2024 of aid reaching North Darfur, in particular, food aid delivered to the Zamzam IDP camp.
These positive steps came in addition to the recent measures relating to the reopening of the Adre border crossing and the authorization of humanitarian air operations in South Kordofan.
We call on the Sudanese Government to sustain these positive steps and further facilitate humanitarian assistance for the benefit of all those who are affected by this tragic situation.
Fourth: putting an end to foreign interferences.
We wish to refer to the strong statement made by USG Di-Carlo in this same Chamber on the role of external actors, and we quote: “to put it bluntly, certain purported allies of the parties are enabling the slaughter in Sudan. This is unconscionable, it is illegal, and it must end” end of quote.
We therefore reiterate our call for the strong and public condemnation of foreign interference in Sudan and the full respect of the established sanctions regime and the arms embargo by all Member States.
Mr President,
We conclude by underlining the need for our Council to engage positively on the situation in Sudan to support, in good faith, the peace efforts in this important country to avoid the spillover of this conflict in the region and the continent.
Thank You.
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