Sudan

Briefing the Security Council, the High Commissioner for Refugees stressed today that there is an unprecedented stigmatization of refugees and migrants in the media and in politics, and that this should concern us all as it is creating a toxic environment that makes it increasingly difficult to tackle this issue.

The World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Global Vaccine Alliance and the Sudanese Ministry of Health today launched a vaccination campaign in Sudan to vaccinate over 11 million children against measles and polio.  Measles is the third largest cause of mortality in infants in Sudan.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The World Health Statistics 2019 — disaggregated by sex for the first time — found that women outlive men everywhere, particularly in wealthy countries.  The gap in life expectancy is narrowest where women lack access to health services.  WHO published the report to coincide with World Health Day on 7 April.

The current situation in Darfur is “completely different” from 2005, when sanctions were imposed, the representative of Sudan said today, urging the lifting of the arms embargo, as the Security Council heard a briefing on the work of its Committee established to implement the restrictive measures.

The Security Council decided today to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) for one year, while maintaining its ceiling of 17,000 troops – including a Regional Protection Force authorized to take robust action where necessary – and a police ceiling of 2,101 personnel.

On 12 February 2019, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan met with the Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda.

The country-wide state of emergency in Sudan declared by its President on 22 February puts a question mark over the peace process in Darfur and plans to draw down the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission there by the middle of 2020, the Security Council heard today.

More civilians were killed in the conflict in Afghanistan in 2018 than at any other time since records have been kept, according to a new report by the United Nations, which documented 3,804 deaths.  The report attributed nearly two thirds of the casualties to anti-Government elements.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has scaled up efforts to support five western African countries as they respond to outbreaks of Lassa fever.  The largest outbreak thus far has affected 16 states in Nigeria, with 213 confirmed cases to date.