West largely responsible for Sudan crisis — Russia’s UN mission
Anna Evstigneeva pointed out that Russia’s position is that any external interference in Sudan’s sovereign affairs is inadmissible, as that could further fuel the conflict
UNITED NATIONS, August 9. /TASS/. Russia urges the West to stop influencing the Sudan crisis through illegitimate unilateral sanctions, as this only makes the situation worse and increases human suffering there, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Anna Evstigneeva said at a UN Security Council meeting.
"We view any attempts to drive a wedge between the neighboring countries’ efforts as counterproductive," the diplomat said.
Evstigneeva pointed out that Russia’s position is that any external interference in Sudan’s sovereign affairs is inadmissible, as that could further fuel the conflict.
"We urge to stop influencing the situation through illegitimate unilateral sanctions, which only contribute to the further aggravation of the situation and to increased suffering for the local population," she said.
"Western countries, assisted by the [UN] special envoy who has lost trust among the Sudanese, have been proactively interfering in Sudan’s intra-political processes, irresponsibly pushing through the parties’ red lines, and therefore they are largely responsible for the collapse of the situation in the country," the diplomat concluded.
The situation in Sudan escalated amid disagreements between the army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the ruling Sovereignty Council, and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti), who is al-Burhan’s deputy on the council. The main points of contention between the two military organizations pertain to the timeline and methods for unifying the armed forces of Sudan, as well as who should be appointed as commander-in-chief of the army: a career military officer, which is al-Burhan’s preferred option, or an elected civilian president, as Dagalo insists.
On April 15, armed clashes between the rival military factions erupted near a military base in Merowe and in the capital, Khartoum. According to the Sudanese health ministry, more than 3,000 people have been killed and at least 6,000 have been wounded since the violence outbreak.