Unifeed

UN / SUDAN

The head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes said, "the fighting shows no sign of abating while neither side appears close to a decisive military victory.” UNIFEED
d3088578
Video Length
00:04:11
Production Date
Asset Language
Personal Subject
Subject Topical
Geographic Subject
MAMS Id
3088578
Parent Id
3088578
Alternate Title
unifeed230913b
Description

STORY: UN / SUDAN
TRT: 04:11
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 13 SEPTEMBER 2023, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

View moreView less
Shotlist

1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters

13 SEPTEMBER 2023, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, Security Council
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan / Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS):
“Almost five months have passed since the deadly conflict erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The fighting shows no sign of abating while neither side appears close to a decisive military victory.”
5. Wide shot, Security Council
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan / Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS):
“I am encouraged that the African Union and IGAD have harmonized their roadmaps and efforts to facilitate a political solution. I also commend the Sudan’s Neighbouring States Summit and the resultant ministerial mechanism. Coherence of regional and international efforts is still needed, though.”
7. Med shot, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan / Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS):
“Let me say that this conflict is leaving a tragic legacy of human rights abuses. Indiscriminate attacks against civilians committed by the warring parties constitute gross violations of human rights. The Massalit community in particular has been living in a pervasive fear of being attacked due to their ethnicity following the heinous murder of West Darfur governor and of other Massalit leaders mid-June. Hundreds at least, have been killed in El Geneina and other parts of West Darfur.”
9. Med shot, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan / Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS):
“Let me end on a personal note: I have had the privilege to serve as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan for more than two and a half years. I am grateful to the Secretary-General for that opportunity and for his confidence in me, but I have asked him to relieve me of this duty. This will therefore be my last briefing in this function.”
11. Med shot, delegates
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations:
“It is no hyperbole to say that after five months of brutal and merciless war, as the SRSG just noted, the people of Sudan are facing a crisis of epic and tragic proportions.”
13. Med shot, delegates
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations:
“Let me again stress that almost half the population – more than 20 million people – are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity. A country with a very health breadbasket. We are seeing a substantial rise in malnutrition rates. And more than 6 million Sudanese people are now just one step away from famine.”
15. Med shot, Sudanese Ambassador
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Harold Agyeman, Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations and Chair of the Security Council Committee, pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005):
“In these interim reports the panel informed the Committee of the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Darfur. The intensified fighting in particularly in El Geneina led to the displacement of the civilian population to the neighboring countries. Schools, mosques and hospitals were also targeted, while homes of international non-governmental organizations and UN compounds were looted.”
17. Med shot, delegates
18. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sudan:
“We welcome the US imposed sanctions against the second commander of the insurgent militias and their leader in West Darfur for their planning and overseeing of the crimes against the civilians in Sudan including sexual violence related to the conflict and killings based on ethnic ground.”
19. Wide shot, Security Council

View moreView less
Storyline

The head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, said “the fighting shows no sign of abating while neither side appears close to a decisive military victory.”

Addressing the Security Council today (13 Sep) on the situation in Sudan, Perthes added, “I am encouraged that the African Union and IGAD have harmonized their roadmaps and efforts to facilitate a political solution. I also commend the Sudan’s Neighbouring States Summit and the resultant ministerial mechanism. Coherence of regional and international efforts is still needed, though.”

He continued, “let me say that this conflict is leaving a tragic legacy of human rights abuses.”

Perthes explained, “indiscriminate attacks against civilians committed by the warring parties constitute gross violations of human rights. The Massalit community in particular has been living in a pervasive fear of being attacked due to their ethnicity following the heinous murder of West Darfur governor and of other Massalit leaders mid-June.”

He stressed, “hundreds at least, have been killed in El Geneina and other parts of West Darfur.”

On a personal note, Perthes added, “I have had the privilege to serve as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan for more than two and a half years. I am grateful to the Secretary-General for that opportunity and for his confidence in me, but I have asked him to relieve me of this duty. This will therefore be my last briefing in this function.”

UN senior humanitarian affairs official Edem Wosornu also addressed the Council. Speaking on behalf of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, she noted, “it is no hyperbole to say that after five months of brutal and merciless war, as the SRSG just noted, the people of Sudan are facing a crisis of epic and tragic proportions.”

Wosornu continued, “let me again stress that almost half the population – more than 20 million people – are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity. A country with a very health breadbasket. We are seeing a substantial rise in malnutrition rates.”

She added, “more than 6 million Sudanese people are now just one step away from famine.”

Earlier today, Ambassador Harold Agyeman, Ghana's Representative to the United Nations, who is the Chair of the Security Council Committee, pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan, also briefed the Council.

According to him, in the interim reports the panel informed the Committee of the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Darfur.

He said, “the intensified fighting in particularly in El Geneina led to the displacement of the civilian population to the neighboring countries. Schools, mosques and hospitals were also targeted, while homes of international non-governmental organizations and UN compounds were looted.”

For his part, Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed welcomed the US sanctions against the second commander of RSP and their leader in West Darfur “for their planning and overseeing of the crimes against the civilians in Sudan including sexual violence related to the conflict and killings based on ethnic ground.”

View moreView less

Download

There is no media available to download.

Request footage