Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUN / SUDAN PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS
Download
There is no media available to download.
Share
STORY: UN / SUDAN PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS
TRT: 7:20
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGAUGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 18 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
18 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Various shots, Security Council members vote
3. Wide shot, Security Council
4. SOUNDBITE (English) David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs:
“One country stood in the way of the Council speaking with one voice. One country is the blocker. One country is the enemy of peace. This Russian veto is a disgrace. And it shows to the world yet again Russia’s true colours. Shame on Putin for waging a war of aggression in Ukraine. Shame on Putin for using his mercenaries to spread conflict and violence across the African continent. And shame on Putin for pretending to be a partner of the Global South. While condemning Black Africans to further killing, further rape, further starvation in a brutal civil war.”
5. Wide shot, Security Council
6. SOUNDBITE (English) David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs:
“I ask the Russian representative in all conscience sitting there on his phone. How many more Sudanese have to be killed? How many more women have to be raped? How many more children have to go without food? Before Russia will act? Russia will have to explain itself to the entire United Nations membership now. While Britain doubles aid. Russia blocks aid access. While Britain works with our African partners. Russia vetoes their will.”
7. 7. Wide shot, Security Council
8. SOUNDBITE (English) David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs:
“Mean, nasty and cynical, Russia’s veto today sends a message to the warring parties that they can act with impunity. That they can ignore their commitments and responsibilities to protect their own people. Let me be clear. I will not stop calling for more action to protect the people of Sudan. I will not stop calling more aid. I will not stop working with our partners in Africa and around the world to help. The UK will not forget Sudan.”
9. Close up, Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss sitting at the Council
10. Wide shot, Security Council
11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry A. Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
“First and foremost, I would like to thank you for your excellent demonstration of British Neo colonialism. That really is what we have to doubt your statement today. Everybody who heard your complex, pathos ridden speech really proves why your country is losing influence and power.”
12. Med shot, Ambassador Polyanskiy speaking at the Council
13. Wide shot, Security Council
14. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry A. Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
“The main problem with the UK draft is that it has a false understanding of who bears responsibility for the protection of civilians in Sudan and for border and security a border control and security control in the country, and who should take a decision to invite foreign forces to Sudan. Ultimately, with whom the UN officials should cooperate in order to address existing problems and plan assistance. We have no doubt that it should solely be the government of Sudan who should play that role. However, the UK authors are clearly trying to refuse Sudan that right during all the work on the draft, they expended a lot of effort to delete from the text any mention of the legitimate authorities of Sudan in the key points. Their position is absurd and unacceptable, in particular in the light of the fact that the government of Sudan represents its country in international organizations and has control of the main processes in this State. It is engaged in distributing humanitarian assistance, and the Sudanese themselves are seeking refuge and protection in the regions controlled by the government.”
13. Close up, Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss sitting at the Council
14. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry A. Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
“Furthermore, we categorically do not accept the idea in the draft of using external accountability mechanisms to ensure accountability for acts of violence, such bodies such as the ICC have proven to be totally ineffective regarding Sudan and other situations. We are convinced that a referral to a judicial system should remain the sole prerogative of the government of Sudan.”
15. Wide shot, Security Council
16. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry A. Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
“Finally, it's important to throw out double standards that in the case of Sudan, seem to be particularly egregious. Those very countries who regarding Sudan are calling loud and clear of the need for a ceasefire and requiring both parties to halt violence and to protect civilians, while in the case of Gaza, are giving carte blanche to Israel to continue the escalation, and are paying no heed whatsoever to the egregious violations of international humanitarian law by the Israeli army. They are holding aloft the right of Israel to self-defense and to protect its civilians. However, when we're talking about Sudan, the same right of its government is rejected, and for some reason, without any investigation, they're accusing the Sudanese army of all sorts of ills.”
17. Wide shot, Security Council
18. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Al-Harith Idriss, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sudan:
“The Charter of the United Nations provides for the unity of States, their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and stopping any aggression against States. This has not really happened in the case of the war of aggression against Sudan, pressures have been exercised and coercions in a coordinated way to weaken the State because of choices by international actors in the international order, which is collapsing spectacularly. It needs to be reestablished according to the Secretary-General's new agenda for peace.”
19. Wide shot, Security Council
20. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Al-Harith Idriss, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sudan:
“There are those who insist on making Sudan dependent on humanitarian aid. Sudan has fertile land and has enough agricultural potential to feed the world. Of course, Sudan is able to feed the Sudanese people that have been wronged time and time again by some international actors. This need has been exploited to encroach upon the sovereignty of Sudan.”
21. Med shot, Security Council
22. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Al-Harith Idriss, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sudan:
“Sudan is still languishing under UN imprisonment since 2004, this position needs to be reconsidered. This systematic imprisonment reduces the role of the Sudan constricts its ambitions and prevents the Sudan to contribute to building peace and to democracy based on national ownership.”
23. Wide shot, Security Council
The Security Council today (18 Nov) failed to adopt a resolution on the protection of civilians in Sudan, with a veto from the Russian Federation.
The result of the vote is 14 in favor, one against, zero abstention. The draft resolution was put forward by the United Kingdom who is presiding the presidency of the Council this month and Sierra Leone.
Speaking in his national capacity, David Lammy, UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs criticised Russia’s veto, calling it “a disgrace.” “Mean, nasty and cynical,” he said.
The British diplomat said, “It shows to the world yet again Russia’s true colours. Shame on Putin for waging a war of aggression in Ukraine. Shame on Putin for using his mercenaries to spread conflict and violence across the African continent. And shame on Putin for pretending to be a partner of the Global South while condemning Black Africans to further killing, further rape, further starvation in a brutal civil war.”
“I ask the Russian representative in all conscience sitting there on his phone. How many more Sudanese have to be killed? How many more women have to be raped? How many more children have to go without food? Before Russia will act?” Lammy said.
The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs highlighted, “Russia will have to explain itself to the entire United Nations membership now. While Britain doubles aid. Russia blocks aid access. While Britain works with our African partners. Russia vetoes their will.”
Calling it “Mean, nasty and cynical,” the British diplomat said, “Russia’s veto today sends a message to the warring parties that they can act with impunity. That they can ignore their commitments and responsibilities to protect their own people.”
“Let me be clear,” Lammy reiterated, “I will not stop calling for more action to protect the people of Sudan. I will not stop calling more aid. I will not stop working with our partners in Africa and around the world to help. The UK will not forget Sudan.”
Russian Ambassador Dmitry A. Polyanskiy started his speech by responding to the British diplomat, “I would like to thank you for your excellent demonstration of British Neo colonialism. That really is what we have to doubt your statement today. Everybody who heard your complex, pathos ridden speech really proves why your country is losing influence and power.”
Ambassador Polyanskiy explained his country’s position that it agrees with all Security Council members that the conflict in Sudan requires a swift resolution and it is also clear that the only way to achieve this is for the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire. However, it should be consistent and open and should not be done by imposing upon the Sudanese through a Council decision.
The Russian Ambassador pointed out that the main problem with the UK draft, “it has a false understanding of who bears responsibility for the protection of civilians in Sudan and for border and security a border control and security control in the country, and who should take a decision to invite foreign forces to Sudan. Ultimately, with whom the UN officials should cooperate in order to address existing problems and plan assistance.”
“We have no doubt that it should solely be the government of Sudan who should play that role. However, the UK authors are clearly trying to refuse Sudan that right during all the work on the draft, they expended a lot of effort to delete from the text any mention of the legitimate authorities of Sudan in the key points,” Ambassador Polyanskiy added.
He reiterated that the UK’s position is “absurd and unacceptable,” in particular in the light of the fact that the government of Sudan represents its country in international organizations and is engaged in distributing humanitarian assistance.
The Russian Ambassador also said, “we categorically do not accept the idea in the draft of using external accountability mechanisms to ensure accountability for acts of violence, such bodies such as the ICC have proven to be totally ineffective regarding Sudan and other situations.”
“We are convinced that a referral to a judicial system should remain the sole prerogative of the government of Sudan,” he emphasized.
Ambassador Polyanskiy also pointed out that the double standards “seem to be particularly egregious.”
He said, “Those very countries who regarding Sudan are calling loud and clear of the need for a ceasefire and requiring both parties to halt violence and to protect civilians, while in the case of Gaza, are giving carte blanche to Israel to continue the escalation, and are paying no heed whatsoever to the egregious violations of international humanitarian law by the Israeli army.”
“They are holding aloft the right of Israel to self-defense and to protect its civilians. However, when we're talking about Sudan, the same right of its government is rejected, and for some reason, without any investigation, they're accusing the Sudanese army of all sorts of ills,” he concluded.
For his part, Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss said, “The Charter of the United Nations provides for the unity of States, their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and stopping any aggression against States. This has not really happened in the case of the war of aggression against Sudan.”
“Pressures have been exercised and coercions in a coordinated way to weaken the State because of choices by international actors in the international order, which is collapsing spectacularly. It needs to be reestablished according to the Secretary-General's new agenda for peace,” Ambassador Idriss said.
The Sudanese Ambassador highlighted, “There are those who insist on making Sudan dependent on humanitarian aid,” emphasizing that his country has fertile land and has enough agricultural potential to feed the world.”
He continued, “Of course, Sudan is able to feed the Sudanese people that have been wronged time and time again by some international actors. This need has been exploited to encroach upon the sovereignty of Sudan.”
Ambassador Idriss concluded, “Sudan is still languishing under UN imprisonment since 2004, this position needs to be reconsidered. This systematic imprisonment reduces the role of the Sudan constricts its ambitions and prevents the Sudan to contribute to building peace and to democracy based on national ownership.”
