UN Warns Sudan Conflict Escalating as Drone Strikes Kill Civilians, Regional Risks Grow<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By: ATN News Team<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n UNHQ, New York<\/em>: <\/strong>The United Nations warned Monday that Sudan\u2019s war has entered a more dangerous phase, marked by intensified fighting, mass civilian casualties from drone strikes, and growing risks of regional spillover, as the United Nations Security Council\u00a0convened to assess a conflict nearing its 1,000th day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Briefing the Council, Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari\u00a0said renewed violence during the dry season has confirmed fears of escalating attacks on civilians, particularly in the Kordofan region, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have made significant territorial gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEach passing day brings staggering levels of violence and destruction,\u201d Khiari told Council members, describing civilian suffering as \u201cimmense,\u201d with no end in sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kordofan Flashpoint, Oil Infrastructure at Risk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The fighting has increasingly centered on West and South Kordofan. UN officials said RSF forces captured Babanusa on Dec. 1 and Heglig on Dec. 8\u2014an oil field and processing hub critical for South Sudanese crude exports routed through Port Sudan. Kadugli and Dilling are now under tightening siege conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Movements of armed forces across the Sudan\u2013South Sudan border have been reported in both directions, including South Sudanese forces entering Sudan to protect oil infrastructure\u2014developments Khiari warned could destabilize both countries if left unaddressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drone Strikes and Peacekeeper Deaths<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most alarming trends raised before the Council was the growing use of indiscriminate drone strikes by both parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Khiari cited a Dec. 4 attack in Kalogi, South Kordofan, in which drones struck a kindergarten and later a hospital treating victims of the initial strike, killing more than 100 people, including at least 63 children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Dec. 13, drone attacks targeted a UN logistics base in Kadugli used by the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism, killing six Bangladeshi peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and injuring nine others. UNISFA has launched an investigation and evacuated personnel from Kadugli due to security concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law, Khiari said, stressing that their safety \u201cis non-negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Humanitarian Crisis Deepens<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Also briefing the Council, OCHA crisis response chief Edem Wosornu\u00a0warned that civilian deaths, displacement, and humanitarian needs are expanding rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She reported more than 1,000 civilians killed by drone strikes in South Kordofan between Dec. 4 and 16 alone, with similarly dire conditions in North Kordofan and across Darfur, where markets have collapsed and basic services have disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe do not feel safe,\u201d Wosornu told Council members, calling for clearer security guarantees for humanitarian workers and renewed efforts to halt the fighting and arms flows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Competing Narratives in the Council Chamber<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking for Russia<\/strong>, Moscow\u2019s representative rejected external pressure on Sudan and cautioned against what he described as imposed political prescriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe legitimacy of Sudan\u2019s current Government should not be questioned,\u201d the Russian envoy said, urging the Council to support Khartoum\u2019s reform roadmap and warning that humanitarian efforts conducted outside state structures risk undermining coordination and increasing insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sudan\u2019s Transitional Prime Minister Kamil El-Tayeb Idris, addressing the Council under Rule 37, presented what he described as a \u201chomemade\u201d peace initiative, while acknowledging the depth of the crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHope itself has been placed under siege,\u201d Idris said, outlining proposals for a ceasefire monitored by the UN, African Union, and League of Arab States, alongside disarmament measures, biometric registration of rebel combatants, and plans to facilitate the return of displaced civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The United Arab Emirates\u00a0rejected allegations linking it to the conflict and warned against regional spillover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe international community must not stand by as this civil war generates destabilizing risks for Sudan\u2019s neighbors,\u201d the UAE representative said, voicing support for a U.S.-led humanitarian truce and the Quad diplomatic process, while stressing that only an independent, civilian-led government can address the root causes of the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diplomatic Efforts Continue<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Khiari said the Secretary-General\u2019s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, remains engaged with both warring parties and with regional and international partners\u2014including the African Union, IGAD, the League of Arab States, and the European Union\u2014to advance an African Union-led inter-Sudanese dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the conflict nearing 1,000 days, Khiari urged the Council to send a clear and united message that those enabling the war will be held accountable, calling for the use of all available tools to protect civilians and push for an immediate cessation of hostilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe United Nations is fully committed to supporting an inclusive path toward peace,\u201d he said, \u201cfor the sake of the people of Sudan and regional stability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n INPS Japan\/ATN<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" UN Warns Sudan Conflict Escalating as Drone Strikes Kill Civilians, Regional Risks Grow By: ATN News Team UNHQ, New York: The United Nations warned Monday that Sudan\u2019s war has entered a more dangerous phase, marked by intensified fighting, mass civilian casualties from drone strikes, and growing risks of regional spillover, as the United Nations Security 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