Friday, June 14, 2024

UN Calls for End of Siege of Major Sudanese City

 The Washington Post published on 14 June 2024 an article titled "U.N. Calls for End of Siege of Darfur City Amid Sudan Civil War" by Katharine Houreld and Paul Schemm.  

The UNSC passed a resolution with 14 nations in support and Russia abstaining, demanding the end of a siege of western Sudan's El Fasher city by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).  El Fasher is home to 2 million residents and another 800,000 civilians displaced by the fighting in Darfur region between the RSF and the Sudan Armed Forces.  The RSF is on the verge of overrunning the city.

Comment:  While the UN resolution is welcomed by most countries around the world, it has no teeth and will not likely have any impact on the fighting.  Russia's mercenary Wagner Group has a long history of supporting the RSF, which probably explains its abstention on the resolution.