UN Extends Darfur Arms Embargo While Blocking Broader Sudan Sanctions Proposal

The United Nations Security Council extended the arms embargo on Sudan’s Darfur region by two months but failed to agree on a US proposal to widen it to the whole country, following opposition from permanent members Russia and China.

The 15-member council unanimously adopted Resolution 2830 on Thursday, extending the sanctions regime until December 11 to allow more time for negotiations. Additionally, the council extended the mandate of the panel of experts monitoring the measures until January 11, 2027. The UN described the text as a short-term “technical rollover” after the regime was previously renewed for one month on September 11. These sanctions were first established in 2005 under Resolution 1591, implementing an arms embargo on armed actors in Darfur, a travel ban, an asset freeze on designated individuals and entities, and a five-member panel of experts.

Despite weeks of discussion, the United States was unable to secure approval to expand the embargo. Russia and China advocated for maintaining the existing regime. US Ambassador Jeff Bartos told the council last month that the current sanctions are outdated and insufficient for addressing today's war, urging an expansion across the entire territory of Sudan. Conversely, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Anna Evstigneeva, stated that they would not permit any broadening of the restrictions. Sudan’s UN ambassador, Al-Harith Mohamed, also argued that a total embargo conflicts with the UN Charter’s guarantee of the right to self-defence.

The ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which started in April 2023, has resulted in at least 59,000 deaths, though aid groups warn the actual toll could be much higher. The war has also displaced approximately 13 million people and driven parts of the country into famine. Currently, the army controls central and eastern Sudan, whereas the RSF holds Darfur in the west and portions of the south. Darfur has experienced some of the worst violence of the conflict, featuring attacks on displacement camps and repeated ethnic massacres resulting in thousands of deaths at a time.