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STORY: UN / SUDAN TWO YEARS OF WAR STATEMENT
TRT: 04:24
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 14 APRIL 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
14 APRIL 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphanie Tremblay, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General:
“I have a statement by the Secretary-General on the second anniversary of the Sudanese conflict. Two years into a devastating war, Sudan remains in a crisis of staggering proportions, with civilians paying the highest price. Indiscriminate shelling and air strikes continue to kill and maim. Markets, hospitals, schools, places of worship and displacement sites are being attacked. Sexual violence is rampant, with women and girls subjected to horrific acts. Civilians suffer from gross violations and abuses from all warring parties. Almost 12 million people have fled their homes, in what has become the world’s largest displacement crisis. More than 3.8 million of these have crossed into neighbouring countries. More than 30 million people require humanitarian support. Half of the population – some 25 million people – are acutely hungry. As the lean season looms, famine has been identified in at least five locations and is projected to spread further. Aid workers have been targeted: at least 90 have lost their lives since the fighting began. Basic services have been decimated, with millions of children deprived of education, and less than one-quarter of health facilities are functional in the hardest hit areas. Attacks on infrastructure have left people without electricity and access to safe water. Last year, the United Nations and its partners reached more than 15.6 million people with at least one form of assistance. But the needs remain overwhelming. Conflict and insecurity, coupled with bureaucratic impediments and drastic funding cuts, have kept humanitarians from increasing their presence in many areas where assistance is needed most. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the parties’ disregard for human life. In addition to their obligations under international humanitarian and international human rights law, the warring parties have made commitments to protect civilians, including in the Jeddah Declaration of May 2023. Such commitments must be translated into concrete action. Independent, impartial and transparent investigations into all reports of violations and abuses are also crucial. The only way to ensure the protection of civilians is to end this senseless conflict. I am deeply concerned that weapons and fighters continue to flow into Sudan, allowing the conflict to persist and spread across the country. The external support and flow of weapons must end. Those with greatest influence on the parties must use it to better the lives of people in Sudan – not to perpetuate this disaster. Comprehensive, revitalised and well-coordinated political efforts are urgently needed to prevent Sudan’s further fragmentation. As an international community, we must find ways to help the Sudanese people bring this unspeakable catastrophe to an end and establish acceptable transitional arrangements. Sudan remains a highest priority for the United Nations. I will continue to engage with regional leaders on means to enhance our collective efforts for peace. This will complement the ongoing work of my Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, who will seek to ensure international mediation efforts are mutually reinforcing. He will also continue to explore with the parties ways to bring them closer to a peaceful solution and support and empower civilians as they work towards a common vision for Sudan’s future. We must renew our focus on finding an end to this brutal war. The world must not forget the people of Sudan.”
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
3. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
“Two years into a devastating war, Sudan remains in a crisis of staggering proportions, with civilians paying the highest price,” the UN Secretary-General said in a statement marking the second anniversary of the conflict.
In the message, read by Associate Spokesperson Stéphanie Tremblay, the Secretary-General warned, “Indiscriminate shelling and air strikes continue to kill and maim,” citing ongoing attacks on “markets, hospitals, schools, places of worship and displacement sites.”
The conflict has fueled “the world’s largest displacement crisis,” with nearly 12 million people uprooted, including “more than 3.8 million” who have fled to neighboring countries. Basic services have collapsed, and hunger has spiraled. “Half of the population – some 25 million people – are acutely hungry,” Guterres said, adding that famine has already been “identified in at least five locations and is projected to spread further.”
Sexual violence was described as “rampant,” with women and girls subjected to “horrific acts.” Humanitarian workers are also under attack, with “at least 90” killed since the war began. Less than a quarter of health facilities remain functional in the worst-affected areas, while millions of children are now out of school.
Despite the challenges, the UN and its partners reached over “15.6 million people with at least one form of assistance” last year. But the Secretary-General emphasized that “the needs remain overwhelming,” with humanitarian operations hampered by insecurity, bureaucracy, and dwindling resources.
He condemned all parties to the conflict for “gross violations and abuses,” noting that “civilians continue to bear the brunt of the parties’ disregard for human life.” He urged that “commitments to protect civilians, including in the Jeddah Declaration of May 2023, must be translated into concrete action.” The statement also called for “independent, impartial and transparent investigations” into all violations.
Expressing alarm over the regional implications, the Secretary-General said he was “deeply concerned that weapons and fighters continue to flow into Sudan,” urging an immediate end to “external support and the flow of weapons.”
He appealed to influential actors to use their leverage constructively: “Those with greatest influence on the parties must use it to better the lives of people in Sudan – not to perpetuate this disaster.”
Calling for “comprehensive, revitalised and well-coordinated political efforts,” he reaffirmed that Sudan remains a top priority for the UN. He pledged to continue regional engagement, in coordination with his Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, who is working to unify international mediation efforts and “support and empower civilians as they work towards a common vision for Sudan’s future.”
“We must renew our focus on finding an end to this brutal war,” the statement concluded. “The world must not forget the people of Sudan.”
