UN / SUDAN

UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations, Khaled Khiari, said that while the parties in Sudan “were able to stop fighting to preserve oil revenues, they have so far failed to do the same to protect their population.” UNIFEED

• Video Length: 00:04:43
• Production Date: 22 December 2025
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS INTERIM SECURITY FORCE FOR ABYEI - UNISFA
• Subject Topical: PEACE AND SECURITY; PEACEKEEPERS; PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS; SUDAN SITUATION; GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE; CEASEFIRES
• Geographic Subject: SUDAN
• MAMS Id: 3521246
• Parent Id: 3521246
• Alternate Title: unifeed251222c

Description

STORY: UN / SUDAN
TRT: 04:43
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 22 DECEMBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations

22 DECEMBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, United Nations:
“The conflict has again intensified - confirming fears that the dry season would bring increased fighting and renewed attacks on civilians. Each passing day brings staggering levels of violence and destruction. Civilians are enduring immense, unimaginable suffering, with no end in sight. In recent weeks, the conflict has centred in the Kordofan region, where the Rapid Support Forces have made significant territorial gains.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, United Nations:
“Due to the prevailing insecurity, all UNISFA personnel are being evacuated from Kadugli until further notice. As the Secretary-General has stressed, attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law and called for accountability. The safety and security of our peacekeepers is non-negotiable.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, United Nations:
“The continued supply of weapons – increasingly sophisticated and deadly - remains a key driver of the conflict. Sudan is saturated with arms. Calls to end these flows have gone unheeded, and there has been no accountability. Meanwhile, the parties remain unwilling to compromise or de-escalate. While they were able to stop fighting to preserve oil revenues, they have so far failed to do the same to protect their population.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Our system is under unprecedented strain and, increasingly, under direct attack. But it continues to deliver.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“We need to continue to strengthen the UN’s presence on the ground in all areas of need, including across the Darfur and Kordofan regions. We do not feel safe. Our courageous teams need clearer guarantees that they can operate safely.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“The Council cannot allow the horrors that unfolded in El Fasher – despite repeated warnings – to occur again in El Obeid, in Kadugli, in Dilling or anywhere else. You should use your collective influence with the warring parties. ”
14. Wide shot, Security Council
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Kamil El-Tayeb Idris, Transitional Prime Minister, Sudan:
“Sudan does not ask for sheer sympathy from this Council, its asks for partnership in securing peace, justice and dignity for its people. Our initiative is homemade.”
16. Wide shot, Security Council
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Kamil El-Tayeb Idris, Transitional Prime Minister, Sudan:
“The Government of Sudan Peace Initiative offers a clear test of our collective resolve: a ceasefire that can be monitored, disarmament that can be enforced, justice that is not selective, and reconciliation that is not superficial.”
18. Wide shot, Security Council
19. Wide shot, ambassadors at stakeout
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Samuel Žbogar, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Slovenia:
“We strongly condemn the persistence of widespread sexual and gender-based violence across Sudan. Conflict related sexual violence is increasingly used deliberately as a tactic of war.”
21. Wide shot, ambassadors at stakeout
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Samuel Žbogar, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Slovenia:
“We reiterate that these acts constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law and may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. We call on all parties to cease all violence and attacks against civilians, including women and girls, and take concrete steps to ensure their protection.”
23. Wide shot, ambassadors at stakeout

Storyline

UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations, Khaled Khiari, said that while the parties in Sudan “were able to stop fighting to preserve oil revenues, they have so far failed to do the same to protect their population.”

Briefing the Security Council today (22 Dec) Khiari said, “The conflict has again intensified - confirming fears that the dry season would bring increased fighting and renewed attacks on civilians. Each passing day brings staggering levels of violence and destruction. Civilians are enduring immense, unimaginable suffering, with no end in sight. In recent weeks, the conflict has centred in the Kordofan region, where the Rapid Support Forces have made significant territorial gains.”

He also said, “Due to the prevailing insecurity, all UNISFA personnel are being evacuated from Kadugli until further notice. As the Secretary-General has stressed, attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law and called for accountability. The safety and security of our peacekeepers is non-negotiable.”

He stressed, “The continued supply of weapons – increasingly sophisticated and deadly - remains a key driver of the conflict. Sudan is saturated with arms. Calls to end these flows have gone unheeded, and there has been no accountability. Meanwhile, the parties remain unwilling to compromise or de-escalate.”

Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, “Our system is under unprecedented strain and, increasingly, under direct attack. But it continues to deliver.”

She added, “We need to continue to strengthen the UN’s presence on the ground in all areas of need, including across the Darfur and Kordofan regions. We do not feel safe. Our courageous teams need clearer guarantees that they can operate safely.”

She stated, “The Council cannot allow the horrors that unfolded in El Fasher – despite repeated warnings – to occur again in El Obeid, in Kadugli, in Dilling or anywhere else. You should use your collective influence with the warring parties.”

Presenting the Government of Sudan Peace Initiative, Sudanese Transitional Prime Minister Kamil El-Tayeb Idris said, “Sudan does not ask for sheer sympathy from this Council, its asks for partnership in securing peace, justice and dignity for its people. Our initiative is homemade.”

He also said, “The Government of Sudan Peace Initiative offers a clear test of our collective resolve: a ceasefire that can be monitored, disarmament that can be enforced, justice that is not selective, and reconciliation that is not superficial.”

Early this morning, the Security Council signatories of the Statement of Shared Commitments on Women, Peace and Security, with a statement delivered by Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations, on behalf of Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and the UnitedKingdom, on the situation of women and girls in Sudan.

Žbogar said, “We strongly condemn the persistence of widespread sexual and gender-based violence across Sudan. Conflict related sexual violence is increasingly used deliberately as a tactic of war.”

He also said, “We reiterate that these acts constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law and may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. We call on all parties to cease all violence and attacks against civilians, including women and girls, and take concrete steps to ensure their protection.”