United Nations:The UN envoy for Sudan warned Monday the east African nation is heading for an economic and security collapse unless it addresses the political paralysis following October's military coup and moves toward resuming a civilian-led transition. Volker Perthes told the U.N. Security Council that the military's violent repression of protests against the coup is continuing and the absence of a political agreement on returning to a transitional path has already led to a deteriorating economic, humanitarian, and security situation in the country.
The coup upended Sudan's democratic transition after a popular uprising forced the military to remove autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Near-daily street protests demanding a return to civilian rule have been met by a crackdown on protesters that has killed 80 people, mostly young men, and injured over 2,600 others, according to a Sudanese medical group. Western governments and world financial institutions suspended their assistance to Sudan to pressure the generals to return to a civilian-led government.
Perthes said the United Nations, the African Union, and the eight-nation East African regional group called the Intergovernmental Authority in Development have agreed to join efforts to facilitate Sudanese-led political talks. The aim, he said, is a return to constitutional order and (a) a transitional path, with an empowered civilian-led government to steer the country through the transitional period and address the critical priorities. To give these talks a chance of succeeding, he said, favourable conditions must be created including an end to violence, ensuring the right to demonstrate peacefully, the release of political detainees, and a firm commitment to phase out the military's current state of emergency in the country.
He said women demonstrators have been subjected to violence and intimidation by members of the security forces and 16 women have reportedly been raped during protests in the capital of Khartoum as of March 22, though the figure could be higher due to under-reporting. Perthes said that over the last two weeks, the three organisations have been working on a common approach and consulting key Sudanese parties. He said many of them have emphasised the urgency of the situation and the need for a speedy yet sound resolution a view he shares.