At the United Nations Security Council meeting on Sudan on Thursday 19 February, the European Union’s ambassador to New York, Hedda Samson, expressed the EU’s “deep concern” at the humanitarian situation in Sudan, which she described as the worst in the world. Ms Samson reiterated the attachment of the EU27 to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, in the face of a risk of destabilisation in the region.
The European ambassador praised the international efforts in favour of a humanitarian truce, in particular those of the ‘Quad’ (see EUROPE 13718/19), and called for preparations to be made for “the day after”, believing that efforts would have to be redoubled if hostilities ceased.
Ms Samson detailed the EU’s commitment within the ‘Quintet’ (see EUROPE 13807/14) - alongside the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States and the United Nations - as well as its own de-escalation initiatives aimed at protecting essential civilian infrastructure and encouraging dialogue between the belligerents.
Joint declaration. On Wednesday 18 February, 24 Member States of the European Union, along with Canada, Norway, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Iceland and Switzerland, and the European Commissioner for Equality, Crisis Preparedness and Management, Hadja Lahbib, co-signed an urgent joint appeal demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their allied militias.
See the joint statement: https://aeur.eu/f/kuq (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)