Sudan Sanctions: Vote on a Draft Resolution Extending the Sanctions Regime

Tomorrow morning (8 October), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution renewing the 1591 Sudan sanctions regime, which includes targeted sanctions and an arms embargo, for two months, until 11 December. The draft text—which was authored by the US, the penholder on Sudan sanctions—also extends the mandate of the Panel of Experts (PoE) assisting the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee until 11 January 2027.

Tomorrow’s vote follows the one-month “technical rollover” adopted unanimously by the Council as resolution 2828 on 11 September, which extended the sanctions regime until 9 October without changing the mandate. The US proposed the technical rollover after weeks of negotiations on its earlier draft that sought to expand the arms embargo across the whole of Sudan, apply it to all parties operating in the country, and to address the issue of drones and dual-use technology. (The term “ technical rollover ” is commonly used by diplomats to describe a concise resolution extending the mandate of a UN peace operation or sanctions regime without altering its core mandate or tasks, usually for a shorter period than is customary.)

That draft proposed by the US did not garner consensus: the “A3” members—the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia, and Somalia—as well as China, Pakistan and Russia, preferred a straightforward one-year renewal of the sanctions regime confined to Darfur. China and Russia also apparently argued that the draft overemphasised the role of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the conflict. The one-month technical rollover was intended to allow additional time for negotiations among Council members. (For more information, see our 10 September What’s in Blue story.)

It appears that Council members’ positions have remained largely unchanged, with the additional time proving insufficient to bridge differences. The US has therefore proposed a further two-month technical rollover instead of the substantive changes it had initially sought.

The period since the September technical rollover has been marked by a flurry of high-level engagement on Sudan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week, alongside continued deterioration on the ground.

Tensions between Washington and Khartoum escalated after the US reportedly withheld a visa for Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ahead of his scheduled General Assembly address, a move Sudanese and other sources argue was linked to a US-backed 90-day ceasefire proposal that Khartoum has resisted. Media outlets reported that Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, appealed to Secretary-General António Guterres to intervene, arguing that barring Burhan would violate the UN’s obligations to member states. His appeal was to no avail, however, and Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim addressed the General Assembly in Burhan’s place. Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric reportedly told media sources that Guterres was “deeply concerned” that the visa had not been issued.

This incident coincided with strain among the Quad members (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates [UAE], and the US), with Saudi Arabia reportedly raising concerns over its role within the format at a ministerial-level meeting on Sudan hosted by France on the margins of the General Assembly’s high-level week, amid Riyadh’s apparent objections to Washington’s withholding of Burhan’s visa.

On 30 September, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), France, Germany, the UK, and the US issued a joint statement following ministerial-level consultations on the margins of the high-level week, urging the warring parties to resume negotiations towards a permanent ceasefire as proposed by the Quad, reaffirming support for the Quintet’s efforts to facilitate an inclusive, Sudanese-led political dialogue, and backing Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Sudan Pekka Haavisto in relaunching political talks in coordination with the Quintet. (The Quintet group comprises the AU, the EU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development [IGAD], the League of Arab States [LAS], and the UN.) It also took note of the findings of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) for Sudan on external support sustaining the parties’ military capabilities, calling for strengthened UN measures—including a better-resourced PoE—to prevent arms from fuelling the conflict, expressed alarm at atrocities attributed to the RSF alongside serious violations by the SAF, and expressed support for “reinforcing the sanctions regime and its application to all of Sudan”.

In a related development, on 5 October, the Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution extending the FFM’s mandate for another year, continuing its reporting and accountability work, including an oral update to the Security Council and a comprehensive report to be presented to both the Council and the General Assembly. The resolution contained language noting the HRC’s call for the halting of military and material support to all parties in Sudan, referring to support to the SAF and the RSF alike. The timing is notable, coming amid the continued deadlock at the Security Council over whether and how to expand the 1591 arms embargo.

On 3 October, both US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos and Burhan attended a lunch hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the margins of the AU’s mid-year coordination meeting. A senior Sudanese government official described the encounter to media as “casual”. In a following the lunch, Boulos reaffirmed US efforts, alongside regional and international partners, to advance a political solution and support an inclusive national dialogue towards civilian-led government.

Regarding developments on the ground, a major ongoing issue is drone warfare, including its continued impact on humanitarian operations. On 3 October, an aerial attack struck two World Food Programme (WFP)-contracted trucks travelling between the cities of Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan state, killing one driver. This came a day after another WFP-contracted truck was struck by an explosive device in Dilling following a food delivery. The WFP called for a prompt and impartial investigation, saying the incidents “underscore the increasingly challenging security environment in Sudan and the risks that aid workers face when delivering life-saving assistance”.