1.
Council Overview
The United Nations Security Council is one of the six principal organs of United
Nations. The council bears the primary responsibility of the maintenance of
international peace and security under the United Nations Charter. The Security
Council issues resolutions which are legally binding to all 193 UN Member States,
under article 25 in combination with article 103, of the UN Charter, giving the
Council coercive authority and to carry the weight of international law.
The Security Council may, without any constraints investigate any dispute or
situation that might lead to international friction, recommend methods of
adjustment, call upon parties to settle disputes by peaceful means, and — in
cases of threats to peace, breaches of peace, or acts of aggression — authorize
enforcement measures including sanctions and the use of force.
The composition of the members of the council is as follows;
i) The Permanent Members (P5): China, France, Russia, the United
Kingdom, and the United States. Each holding veto power, meaning a
single “no” vote from a permanent member can block proposed
resolutions.
ii) The Non-Permanent Members: Encompasses 10 countries elected by
the UN General Assembly for staggered, two-year terms.
Non-permanent members are distributed globally by region. The
current elected members are made up of those:
Serving through 2026: Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and
Somalia.
Serving through 2028: Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad
and Tobago, and Zimbabwe.
2. Topic Formulation
The civil war erupted on April 15, 2023, as a power struggle between two
formerly allied military factions. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led
by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemedti”), had jointly ousted
civilian Prime Minister Hamdok in a 2021 coup. Tensions escalated over
the integration of the RSF into the regular army, culminating in open
warfare in Khartoum.
The RSF evolved from the Janjaweed militias that perpetrated the Darfur
genocide in the early 2000s. Its leader, Hemedti, built a vast financial
empire through gold mining concessions, giving the RSF economic
independence and military capacity rivalling the state army.
3. Existing UN Frameworks and Resolutions
The civil war in Sudan is a humanitarian catastrophe, and has significantly
and severely disturbed livelihoods, it is followed and triggers more
humanitarian catastrophes, such as sexual abuse and displacement. This
is understood by the Security Council and action to tackle this catastrophe
was taken by use of various Resolutions and Frameworks.
Significant issues that caused a demand for council action because of
this civil war:
DISPLACEMENT OF MILLIONS.
It is the largest displacement crisis on record.
Sudan has overtaken all other conflicts as the world’s largest displacement
crisis, with over 14 million people uprooted from their homes, forcibly or
voluntarily fleeing, earing
ear for their lives.
FAMINE AND MASS STARVATION
Famine has been officially declared in multiple areas. Sudan is the world’s
largest hunger crisis, with 21+ million facing acute food insecurity.
HUMANITARIAN ATROCITIES
The are observable genocide indicators, and purposefully killings of
civilians. Fact-finding missions identified hallmarks of genocide in Darfur,
including ethnically targeted killings and mass sexual violence against
civilians, women and children significantly sexually abused.
Understanding these crimes against life and livelihoods, the UN Security
Council issued Resolutions, starting with the Resolution 1054 of 1996.
Listed and briefly explained below are the recent resolutions spanning
from 2023, when the Resolution 2715 was issued to address the civil war
that erupted in April 2023.
Resolution Year Main focus
UN Security 2023 Termination of United Nations Integrated
Council Transition Assistance Mission. UNITAMS
Resolution 2715 was originally created under resolution
2524 of 2020, to assist Sudan’s transition
to democracy.
Vetoed Draft 2024 National Ceasefire Resolution aimed at
Resolution protecting civilians and security human
rights. The Ceasefire demanded the
Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid
Support Forces to ceasefire and initiate
dialogue. The Resolution was vetoed by
Russia.
UN Security 2024 Stoppage of hostilities during the holy
Council month of Ramadan. Beyond the
Resolution 2724 temporality of Ramadan, the resolution
demanded the parties to remove
blockages the delivery of aid to civilians.
UN Security 2024 The Resolution Demanded that the Rapid
Council Support Forces paramilitary group halt a
Resolution siege and de-escalate tensions in the
2736 capital El Fasher.
UN Security 2024 Sanctions regime renewal. The resolution
Council emphasized and renewed the
Resolution 2750 longstanding measures in resolution
1591 which the flow of arms, financial
constraints and travel bans for
individuals undermining peace in Sudan.
UN Security 2025 Extension of the mandate of the UN Panel
Council of Experts, which established to assist
Resolution 2772 the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee.
The mandate provides emphasis on
investigations of the violations the use of
arms and Sanctions, and maintenance of
peace.
4. Barriers to implementation
Geopolitics and Veto:
Russia's November 2024 veto of a UK-Sierra Leone ceasefire resolution
— the only 'no' vote among 15 members — paralyzed the Council.
Russia's interests in Sudan include gold mining concessions (via the
Wagner Group) and a naval base agreement at Port Sudan. Insufficient
funds from the national budget for WPS National Action Plans (NAP).
Enforcement Gaps
The UN Security Council has shown to lack ground-level
enforcement capacity. The termination of UNITAMS in December
2023 has further reduced the UN’s political presence. The warring
parties operate with near-total impunity, frequently blocking
humanitarian access and using starvation as a weapon of war and
thus a huge disregard for human life.
Failed Mediation Tracks
The US-Saudi Jeddah Platform, which was launched May 2023 and
the IGAD/African Union mediation both collapsed. The Jeddah talks
focused narrowly on humanitarian truces without addressing core
political disputes,
External Arms Provision and Support
Both the SAF and RSF receive weapons and financial support from
regional actors. The UAE has been accused of supplying the RSF,
while Iran and others have supported the SAF. This external support
directly undermines the Darfur arms embargo.
5. Council Sitting Prompt:
As we convene, over 14 million people have been driven from their homes,
famine is actively consuming communities in Darfur, and the Specter of
genocide has returned to the region.”
The frameworks and resolutions previously adopted have proven insufficient
in the face of blatant disregard for international humanitarian law, external
military interference, and deep divisions within this very Council. Your task is
to forge a new, actionable path forward. Another failed resolution would be
further disregarding the lives affected by this catastrophe.
The Sudan crisis sits at the intersection of humanitarian law, geopolitical
competition, regional stability, and the limits of multilateral governance.
Before reaching a proposition or a position, it is important to understand the
interests and constraints of the country you represent.
Guiding Questions for A Proposition:
I). Overcoming External Constraints
How can this Council overcome internal geopolitical divisions to present a
unified front and enforce a meaningful, nationwide ceasefire — particularly in
light of the November 2024 veto?
II). Enforcement & Accountability
What immediate mechanisms can be introduced to enforce the existing arms
embargo, halt the flow of external weapons from external role-players and
support groups thus hold perpetrators of war crimes and ethnic cleansing
accountable through the International Criminal Court?
III). Humanitarian Access
How can the international community guarantee unhindered humanitarian
access to millions facing starvation when both the SAF and RSF actively
weaponize aid and block relief corridors?
IV). Sustainable Peace
How can the UN effectively consolidate fragmented regional mediation efforts
— the Jeddah platform, IGAD, and the African Union — into a cohesive political
process that includes civilian voices and transitions Sudan back toward
democratic governance?