Adopting Resolution 2724 (2024), Security Council Calls for Immediate Cessation of Hostilities by Warring Parties in Sudan during Ramadan

The Security Council today called for an immediate cessation of hostilities by warring parties in Sudan during the month of Ramadan and for them to seek a sustainable resolution to the conflict through dialogue.

Calls for such a ceasefire were growing as the country remained gripped for almost a year by the brutal fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces that broke out in April 2023 (see Press Release SC/15613).

Adopting resolution 2724 (2024) (to be issued as document S/RES/2724(2024)) with 14 votes in favour and one abstention (Russian Federation), the 15-member organ also called on all parties to remove any obstructions and enable full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, including cross-border and crossline.

The parties were also called on to comply with international humanitarian law, including an obligation to protect civilians and civilian objects, and their commitments under the Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, known as the “Jeddah Declaration”.

Additionally, the Council encouraged the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, to use his good offices with the parties and the neighbouring States to complement and coordinate regional peace efforts.

Speaking before action, the representative of the Russian Federation said that the draft resolution prepared by the United Kingdom appears to pursue a noble aim.  However, her delegation has no illusions about the true intentions of Western countries in rushing to adopt this text.  “Those same countries are dragging out the adoption of a document on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where a genuine massacre is taking place, where more than 30,000 people have died over the past five months,” she said, denouncing the United States for its use of veto against a ceasefire in Gaza.

Following the vote, the United Kingdom’s delegate emphasized that the Council, through the adoption of the resolution, has sent a strong and clear message to the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to agree on an immediate cessation of hostilities during Ramadan.  He urged them to “act on this united international call for peace and to silence the guns”.

Taking the floor for a second time, the Russian Federation’s representative said that her country, despite its abstention, “let this resolution through” because it is a question about the lives of the Sudanese people who are suffering from the consequences of the conflict.  However, the Sudanese bear primary responsibility for the situation in their country.  The job of responsible representatives of the international community, including Council members, is to facilitate that, not to impose their own rules and principles on sovereign States. 

Her counterpart from the United States said that preventing famine and long-term catastrophe will require both a ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access, demanding that the parties do more to protect, not target, civilians in all circumstances, to respect human rights and comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.  “This tragedy has gone on too long,” he said, urging Council members to unite to prevent and stop the flow of weapons that is fuelling the conflict.  To that end, he asked for continued support to adopt a resolution renewing the sanctions-related Panel of Experts’ mandate that will be put to a vote in a meeting later today.

China’s delegate said that any State taking relevant actions should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sudan and refrain from interfering in its internal affairs.  The Council could have spoken with greater unity on the resolution, but “the penholder didn’t make further efforts to that end”, he said.  While adopting a resolution on a Ramadan ceasefire in Sudan, the Council must not forget that the people of Gaza are still suffering under bombardment.  The international community must push for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the conflict in Gaza, he urged.

The representative of Alegria, speaking also for Guyana, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, highlighted that this resolution will pave the way towards a peaceful and stable Sudan.  Expressing hope that the Sudanese actors will seize this opportunity to lay down their weapons, he stressed the importance of prioritizing the coordination of regional and international efforts and harmonizing different initiatives.  The goal should be to bring closer the various internal actors for an inclusive dialogue and “find Sudanese solutions to Sudanese problems without any foreign interference”, he stressed.