Topic:
Country: Russian Federation
Delegate Name: Harry Cornell
UNSC
Situation in Sudan
Russian Federation
Harry Cornell
The situation in Sudan began with the 2019 coup d’etat that overthrew Omar al-Bashir’s regime. This overthrow was caused by the fact that Al-Bashir had lost the right to govern in the court of public opinion; protesters had been in the streets for months when the military decided to launch their coup d’etat. The resulting regime sought to be a transitional period between military control, stemming from the coup, and a government led by the regular Sudanese citizen. This was accomplished through having both members of the military regime and civilians on the Sovereignty Council, the governing body of Sudan. However, a failed coup attempt by those still loyal to Bashir led to unrest in the nation between those who believed there was a need for greater civilian involvement in government, and those who believed the military should take the helm. This led to a successful coup by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the new military government sought to remove all civilian members of the Sovereignty Council, as they claimed that the citizens had guided the nation towards a potential civil war. Present day, a rift has appeared in the government between Burhan and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo – often referred to as Hemedti – who leads Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as wages on throughout Sudan and a humanitarian crisis has appeared. Economic assets require protection and humanitarian aid is necessary if this body is ever to get this crisis under control.
The Russian Federation has not involved itself in the war and unrest in Sudan, as such it does not seek to involve itself, as it does not believe there is any interest in Sudan for its nation. Russia has no relations with either of the forces fighting in the war and has little to none with the Sudanese government as a hold. There are no Russian assets in Sudan, therefore the Russian Federation sees no need to get involved in order to protect anything belonging to the Russian Federation. It is in Russian interest however to solve the humanitarian crisis at hand in order to prevent a backlog of refugees seeking refuge within the borders of the Russian Federation. This is evident in the fact that since mid-April of this year, more than 6 million people in Sudan have been displaced, and at least 1.2 million have left seeking refuge in other nations. The Russian Federation also seeks to reaffirm human rights, as they are a necessity for life, as outlined in the Declaration of Human Rights. This body cannot sit on the sideline when these rights along with the Economic and Social Council’s sustainable development goals are in jeopardy, as we are the only body with the power to enforce the measures we choose to take.
In order to solve these issues, the Russian Federation seeks for the renewal of the mandate of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), as originally mandated in resolution 2524 (2020) and most recently extended by resolution 2685 (2023) until 3 December 2023, the day after this body ceases to meet. The mission of UNITAMS is critical to any chance of having peace in the region and it is important that they continue to build upon the groundwork they have made. Moreover, UNITAMS has provided both this body and the secretary general with a great amount of information and it is vital that that intelligence is maintained. The Russian Federation also seeks for an increase in humanitarian aid to the region, as of 12 November 2023, the 2023 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan – as implemented by the UN Office for Coordination of Human Affairs – is currently funded at 33.8 percent of its funding goal. The Russian Federation also believes that protecting Sudan’s interests in its natural resources is vital as a driver of the Sudanese economy. The Russian Federation specifically seeks protections for the gold industry as it has proven to be a driving factor for the Sudanese economy. This is exemplified by the fact that Sudan is the third largest producer of gold in Africa over the past decade.
