Sudan Crisis Meeting at UNSC

UN Security Council to Hold a Private Meeting Amid Escalating Conflict and Humanitarian Emergency

On 19 May, the UN Security Council will hold a private meeting to discuss the rapidly deteriorating political, security, and humanitarian situation in Sudan. The meeting, convened at the request of Greece, which holds the Council presidency for May, follows mounting concern among Council members over the escalating violence. Briefings will be delivered by Ramtane Lamamra, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, and Lisa Doughten, Director of the Humanitarian Financing and Resource Mobilization Division at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Shifting Frontlines and Escalating Violence

Lamamra is expected to provide a detailed account of the evolving conflict dynamics. Since late 2024, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have gained ground against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), recapturing Khartoum by March 2025, including strategic sites like the presidential palace and international airport. The SAF has since consolidated control over the capital region, particularly in Omdurman, and continued offensive operations in the Kordofan region.

However, the RSF has escalated asymmetric attacks. Starting 4 May, it conducted six consecutive days of drone strikes on Port Sudan—the de facto administrative capital—targeting civilian and military infrastructure, including the airport, airbase, fuel depots, and power stations. Similar strikes were reported in Kassala and, more recently, on 14 May in Omdurman, resulting in widespread power outages. The RSF has also shelled El Obeid in North Kordofan, causing dozens of civilian deaths.

The situation in North Darfur’s El Fasher remains dire. Since mid-April, the RSF has intensified its siege of the city through shelling, drone attacks, and ground operations, leading to hundreds of civilian casualties, aid worker deaths, and mass displacement. On 14 April, the RSF seized the Zamzam camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), worsening the humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, in Nyala (South Darfur), the SAF has increased airstrikes on RSF positions in a bid to disrupt supply chains and destroy critical infrastructure.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

Doughten is expected to detail how the conflict is exacerbating Sudan’s already catastrophic humanitarian situation. According to OCHA, aid access has significantly declined due to escalating violence, attacks on aid workers, damage to infrastructure, and bureaucratic constraints—now worsened by funding cuts. Particularly hard-hit are conflict zones in Darfur and Kordofan, where access remains severely limited.

As of 2 May, approximately 406,300 people had been displaced from Zamzam camp since mid-April, with most fleeing to Tawila in North Darfur. An estimated 180,000 remain trapped. Aid agencies are scrambling to coordinate relief efforts, pre-position supplies ahead of the rainy season, and overcome severe access challenges—including looting, abductions, and the reported militarization of humanitarian corridors.

Cross-border assistance has emerged as a lifeline. On 29 April, a UN-led convoy entered Sudan from Chad via the Adré crossing, reaching Tawila. On 14 May, Sudanese authorities extended permission for aid to continue flowing through Adré for three more months.

Diplomatic Engagement and Regional Mediation Efforts

Lamamra is expected to brief on ongoing diplomatic initiatives. He met with senior Sudanese officials, including SAF leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in Port Sudan on 23 April to discuss the UN’s peace efforts. He later travelled to Addis Ababa and Cairo for consultations with African Union (AU) and League of Arab States (LAS) officials, including AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and LAS Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

On 16 May, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Lamamra, Youssouf, and Gheit held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the LAS Summit in Baghdad. Guterres confirmed that representatives of the UN, AU, and LAS will work jointly—based out of Addis Ababa—to better coordinate peace initiatives. Council members may seek Lamamra’s assessment of whether these efforts can help de-escalate the conflict or revive stalled negotiations, including technical-level talks to implement the 2023 Jeddah Declaration signed by both parties.

Concerns Over Arms Transfers and UAE’s Alleged Role

The issue of arms flows into Sudan, in defiance of existing UN embargoes, is likely to feature prominently. In a 7 May letter to the Council (S/2025/291), Sudan’s Foreign Minister accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supplying advanced weaponry to the RSF and aiding recent drone strikes. The Sudanese government declared the UAE an “aggressor state” and severed diplomatic ties, urging the Council to take urgent action.

The UAE has categorically denied the allegations. In a 29 April letter, it asserted it had not supported either warring party and pointed to the UN Panel of Experts’ April 2024 report, which made no findings against the UAE. The UAE also rejected the Sudanese decision to cut ties, arguing the “Port Sudan authority” does not represent Sudan’s legitimate government.

Council members may raise concerns about violations of the arms embargo and the regionalization of the conflict. Some are likely to stress the need for accountability, including for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law—among them extrajudicial killings, torture, and sexual violence.

Conclusion

Tomorrow’s meeting will offer a critical opportunity for Council members to assess the prospects for political resolution, evaluate the impact of continued fighting on civilians, and discuss concrete measures to enforce international law and facilitate humanitarian access. Yet, amid deepening divisions among international actors and intensifying hostilities on the ground, the path to peace in Sudan remains uncertain.