On behalf of the people and the Government of the Sudan. I would like to congratulate the President on assuming the presidency of General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session. I also thank the President of the Assembly at
its seventy-seventh session and the Secretary-General for their efforts in confronting the challenges that have faced the world over the past year.
Since 15 April, the Sudanese people have been facing a devastating war launched by the rebel Rapid Support Forces, which have been allied with tribal, regional and international militias, bringing in mercenaries from various parts of the world to perpetrate the most heinous crimes against the Sudanese people. Those rebel groups have committed murder, looting, theft and rape and have seized citizens’ homes and property. They have destroyed civilian objects, including public facilities, hospitals and State and government buildings. They have attempted to obliterate the history and identity of the Sudanese people by attacking museums and archaeological sites and destroying land records, civil registries and court registries. They have plundered banks and private and public corporations. They have released prisoners and detainees, including those wanted by international justice mechanisms, and terrorists.
Those rebel groups have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in most parts of the Sudan. They have carried out ethnic cleansing, forced displacements, sexual violence, race-based killings, torture and many other acts that amount to war crimes, in Darfur and Khartoum. What happened in West Darfur in El Geneina was a shock to the global conscience, as was what happened in Tawila. Mornei. Menawashei and even Khartoum. It was a testimony of the acts of those forces and their allied groups. We call on the President and the international community to designate those forces and the groups allied with them as terrorist groups that must be countered by all and must be fought to protect the Sudanese people, the region and the entire world. They are responsible for the killing of thousands of people and the displacement of millions.
Despite what has been committed by those groups, since their attack against the State, we have done our utmost to put an end to this war. We have responded to each and every initiative of our brothers and friends. We attended a meeting in Jeddah at the invitation of our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and of the United States of America. We would have made considerable progress if it were not for the intransigence of the rebels who refused to withdraw from inhabited neighbourhoods. We also accepted the initiative of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and that of neighbouring countries held in Egypt. To this day. we continue to extend a hand of peace to put an end to this war and to alleviate the suffering of our people. We have also accepted the initiative of our brothers in Türkiye and South Sudan, as well as Uganda, aimed at finding solutions. However, they were all confronted by the rebels’ refusal to seek a peaceful solution and their insistence on destroying the State and committing genocide against the people.
Some characterize this war as an internal war between two armed parties. However, the aggression was not against only the armed forces rather it extended to all parts of the State. Innocent citizens are not part of the armed forces. The people in West Darfur are not part of the armed forces. Our citizens’ homes are not part of the armed forces. Therefore, this war cannot be characterized as a war between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces. Instead, it extends to all constituents of the State.
Nevertheless. I would like to confirm that the war is now a threat to regional and international peace and security, as those rebels have sought the support of outlaws and terrorist groups from different countries in the region and the world. That is like a spark of war. a war that will spill over to other countries in the region. The regional and international interference in support of those groups is crystal clear by now. In other words, that is the spark that will ignite the region and will have a direct impact on international peace and security.
I would like to express my thanks for the efforts of the United Nations and the Secretary-General aimed at supporting the humanitarian situation in the Sudan. We also appreciate all efforts made by the various United Nations agencies and other regional and international agencies, along with the efforts of the sisterly and friendly countries that have provided humanitarian assistance to the Sudan. They have stood by the Sudanese people to alleviate the repercussions of this criminal war.
For its part, the Government of the Sudan has opened airports and seaports and facilitated the movement and transit of convoys. It has attempted to remove all obstacles to humanitarian action. We have coordinated all efforts so that assistance can reach all those in need and affected. In that regard, we call on
all agencies and countries to meet their pledges to fill the huge gap in food, medicine and shelter which has affected huge segments of our population, those who have been affected by this war launched by the rebels of the Rapid Support Forces under the command of Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo.
We remain committed to our previous pledges to transfer power to the people of the Sudan with broad national consensus and consent. In that regard, the armed forces will leave politics once and for all and the transfer of power will then be the result of a peaceful and legitimate process of elections. However, we see a short transitional period in which the country will be governed by a civil Government consisting of independents. During that period, they can address security, humanitarian and economic matters and reconstruction. Then, general elections will be held so that the Sudanese people can choose their leaders.
We stress that the State is committed to continuing dialogue with all those who have abstained in the dialogue, our brothers Abdelaziz Al-Hilu and Abdel Wahid Al-Nur. so that they can join the march towards national statehood. We are fully committed to the Juba Peace Agreement, signed in Juba in 2020. We have made great strides in bringing about peace and addressing the many obstacles facing the Sudanese statehood.
I would like to reiterate the Sudan’s commitment to supporting women and children and vulnerable segments of our society, so that they can enjoy all their rights, and to protecting them in the light of the ongoing disputes.
We reiterate the commitment of the Sudanese Government to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In that regard, the halting or freezing of international and humanitarian assistance over the past period negatively affected the implementation of those Goals. It had a direct impact on widening the gap in social protection and countering climate change and the food crisis. It has exacerbated the situation of refugees and displaced persons. We therefore call on donors and various relief agencies to continue supporting and addressing the humanitarian situation in the Sudan by providing assistance to those in need, especially refugees and displaced persons.
Before I conclude. I would like to reiterate our demand to designate the rebel Rapid Support Forces and their allied militias as terrorist groups, for they have committed all sorts of crimes that provide grounds for such designation. There is a need to firmly respond to their sponsors who have supported acts of killing, burning, rape, forced displacement, looting, stealing and torture; arms and drug trafficking; the use of mercenaries and the recruitment of children, all crimes that demand accountability and punishment. I would also like to reiterate that legitimate State institutions — be they the Government, the armed forces or other bodies — will never allow any violation of the State’s sovereignty or the humiliation of the Sudanese people at any cost.
I have to recall the need for our regional organizations to free themselves from guardianship and support the interests of the African peoples so that they can regain the trust of Africans. We will not allow others to find solutions to our problems according to their own interests.
In conclusion. I would like to thank you. Mr. President, and thank His Excellency the Secretary- General for understanding our domestic issues, for standing by the people of the Sudan and for their continued support to them. I would also like to thank our neighbouring countries and our brothers and friends who have stood beside us. We would also like to thank the regional organizations. The people of the Sudan thank them all for their support in surmounting this crisis and the barbaric attack launched by the criminals of the rebel Rapid Support Forces.
I would like to seize this opportunity to express the solidarity of the Sudanese people with our brothers in Morocco and Libya following the disasters they have faced recently. I would also like to thank all the people of the Sudan who have stood by us. supported us and borne with us over the past few months all the sacrifices in order to eradicate the rebel terrorist groups.