New York, 21 September 2024
Everywhere we look, peace is under attack.
From Gaza, to Sudan, to Ukraine and beyond we see:
Civilians in the firing line;
Homes blown apart;
Traumatised, terrified populations who have lost everything – and sometimes everyone.
...Under-Secretary-General Rosemary A. DiCarlo’s
Briefing to the Security Council
on the situation in Lebanon
20 September 2024
Mister President,
Thank you for the opportunity to brief the Council on the situation in Lebanon and the region, including the most recent alarming developments.
For nearly a year, Hizbullah and other non-state armed groups in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces have exchanged fire across the Blue Line on an almost daily basis. These exchanges have been in repeated breach of the cessation of hostilities and in violation of resolution 1701.
Strikes and exchanges of fire have expanded in scope and intensity, and in some cases reached much deeper into Lebanese and Israeli territory. Over 100,000 people have been displaced from southern Lebanon. At least 60,000 have been displaced from northern Israel.
The exchanges of fire have caused numerous casualties, including among civilians, and significant damage to homes, civilian infrastructure, and agricultural land on both sides of the Blue Line.
The risk of further expansion of this cycle of violence is extremely serious and poses a grave threat to the stability of Lebanon, Israel, and the whole region.
Mister President,
On the afternoon of 17 September, many communication devices, or “pagers” - primarily used by members of Hizbullah - exploded simultaneously across Lebanon. Similar explosions were also reported in Syria.
The following day, a second wave of explosions, smaller in scale but more lethal, was reported throughout the same areas of Lebanon. This time, the devices involved were two-way handheld radios reportedly used by Hizbullah.
Devices exploded in homes, cars, supermarkets, and streets. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health stated that 37 people were killed, including two children, and more than 3,400 people were injured in the successive explosions.
Medical professionals and hospitals are working around the clock to help the wounded. Lebanese society – old and young have been in profound shock and panic.
The Lebanese government has strongly denounced the attack, which it attributed to Israel. Caretaker Prime Minister Mikati said– I quote - “represented a serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime”. End quote.
In a speech on 19 September, Hizbullah Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, said in response to the attacks that “Israel exceeded all limits, laws and red lines” and he vowed “to exact a heavy price and a fair punishment.” He reiterated that the Lebanon front would only stop once the aggression on Gaza ended.
In a letter to the President of the Security Council on 18 September, the Islamic Republic of Iran blamed Israel for the explosions. Noting that its Ambassador to Lebanon was among those wounded, Iran stated that it – quote - “reserves its right under international law to take required measures deemed necessary to respond to such a heinous crime and violation.” End quote.
To date, the Government of Israel has made no official comment on these developments.
Mister President,
Since the explosions on 17 and 18 September, exchanges of fire across the Blue Line have continued, showing worrying signs of escalation.
The exchanges include some of the heaviest bombardment of southern Lebanon since 8 October 2023. Israeli aircraft have conducted a high number of air strikes and overflights, including breaking the sound barrier over Beirut on several occasions.
In addition, we are receiving initial reports about an Israeli air strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut hours ago, which Israel said targeted and killed a number of senior Hizbullah leaders.
The Lebanese health ministry said at least twelve people were killed and over 60 injured in the strike.
Meanwhile, heavy barrages of rocket, drone, artillery, and anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon have killed two IDF soldiers and wounded ten Israelis. UNIFIL is monitoring the situation closely.
On 16 September, Israel's Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, suggested that the center of gravity was moving north, including the transfer of military forces.
Speaking of the onset of a – quote - “new phase of war”, he suggested the only way left to ensure the return of Israel's northern communities to their homes was through military action.
Reports from Israeli media indicate that Israel Defense Forces 98th Division was transferred from Gaza to the Northern Command, adding to concerns about the risk of further escalation on the horizon.
From Lebanon, the UN Special Coordinator Hennis-Plasschaert has been in constant contact with all concerned actors, including care taker Prime Minister Mikati, Foreign Minister Bou Habib, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and their offices, and other authorities. In her meetings, she has continued to push for a diplomatic solution and warned against further escalation.
She continues to underscore that military advances would not restore stability or enable displaced civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to return home safely. She will travel to Israel early next week for consultations with relevant counterparts.
Mr. President,
In the current fragile regional context, the devastating war in Gaza continues. Nearly a year after the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas on 7 October, Israeli military operations, including bombardment from the air and land, and armed exchanges with Hamas and other militants continue across the strip. The number of fatalities tragically keeps increasing. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, many of them children.
At the same time, the indiscriminate launching of rockets by Hamas and other armed groups toward population centres in Israel also continues.
I once again echo the words of the Secretary-General: we need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, and a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Mister President,
The risk to security and stability, not only in Lebanon but also in the region, could not be clearer or graver. The Secretary-General has already expressed his deep alarm over these events.
I echo his sentiments and strongly urge all actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation. They must abide by their obligations under international law concerning the protection of civilians.
I also strongly urge Member States with influence over the parties to leverage it now.
As we approach a full year of near-daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line and bloodshed in Gaza, too many lives have been lost, too many people have been displaced, and too many livelihoods have been destroyed.
But if things continue as they are, we risk seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far.
It is not too late to avoid such folly. There is still room for diplomacy, which must be used without delay. The Secretary-General continues to urgently call on the parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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Mr. President, Distinguished Members of the Security Council,
Thank you for convening today’s meeting on the situation in the Sudan, following alarming reports of yet another escalation of fighting in El Fasher. This recent intensification is occurring as devasting clashes continue in many other parts of Sudan, including around Greater Khartoum and Sennar.
Even while millions of lives are at risk across Sudan, hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in El Fasher are now at risk of the consequences of mass violence as fighting engulfs the city. It has further exposed the extremely vulnerable population, including internally displaced persons living in large camps near El Fasher. This violence has also affected healthcare facilities.
Open sources report that a fresh round of large-scale fighting broke out in El Fasher on 12 September. The Rapid Support Forces launched a coordinated attack on the city from multiple directions. The Sudanese Armed Forces and affiliated armed movements reportedly repelled the attack in the hours and days that followed.
Mr. President,
The current wave of fighting marks the latest chapter of violence in El Fasher and occurs amidst a months-long siege and attack on the city at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces. This has caused appalling levels of suffering for the civilian population, including famine conditions in Zamzam camp south of El Fasher, among other locations.
For months, international partners have engaged individually and collectively in trying to secure a de-escalation of the situation and prevent more suffering in El Fasher. The Council has adopted resolution 2736 (2024) calling on the Rapid Support Forces to halt the siege of El Fasher and for an immediate end to the fighting. Yet, prevention efforts to prevent a further military escalation in El Fasher have failed. Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in the city are at risk of mass violence.
The stakes could not be higher. The risk of the escalation of fighting fueling a dangerous ethnic dimension of this conflict is well known. So are the destabilizing effects for the entire region.
Mr. President,
The Secretary-General has consistently called on the parties to de-escalate the situation in El Fasher and spare civilians from further suffering. He has warned of the grave and unpredictable ramifications of such an escalation.
The Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, has directly engaged the belligerents, including during the proximity talks in Geneva in July and supported the mediation efforts of the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland in August. Mr. Lamamra most recently engaged the Sudanese authorities during a visit to Port Sudan at the end of August, alongside the Deputy Secretary-General.
The impetus underpinning the UN’s collective efforts during this recent “season of diplomacy” has been to amplify the criticality of the protection of civilians, in El Fasher and across the entirety of Sudan.
The protection of civilians is the responsibility of the Government of the Sudan, first and foremost. However, it is incumbent upon all warring parties in the Sudan to respect and uphold their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law.
The Rapid Support Forces submitted a set of unilateral commitments to the Secretary-General on how to strengthen the protection of civilians pursuant to the conclusion of the proximity talks in Geneva in July, under the auspices of Personal Envoy Lamamra. The Rapid Support Forces must live up to their own commitments and take steps to implement them without delay.
Mr. President,
An agreement on a ceasefire would be the single-most effective way to strengthen civilian protection. This is true for El Fasher and all of the Sudan.
Progress in agreeing on a nationwide ceasefire and securing progress on other commitments such as those in the Jeddah Declaration has, however, proven difficult to achieve.
Yet it is critical that the conflict parties take immediate action toward implementation of the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan of 11 May 2023 in accordance with the respective Resolutions of this Council.
To that end, it is notable that the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group, which met in Geneva last month, presented the conflict parties a proposal for a compliance mechanism to resolve disputes, receive complaints, and address problems arising in relation to implementation of commitments around the protection of civilians under existing agreements, including the Jeddah Declaration, and international humanitarian and human rights law.
We urge the conflict parties to give serious consideration to this proposed modality.
Efforts have also been made to explore possibilities for local ceasefires, including by drawing on local actors. Prior to the deterioration of the situation in El Fasher, a local ceasefire protected the city’s population for close to a year. A return to such an arrangement in El Fasher and similar short-term solutions in other locations must continue to be pursued.
Besides calling on the parties to de-escalate the fighting in El Fasher, resolution 2736 (2024) also contained a request for the “Secretary-General, in consultation with the Sudanese authorities and regional stakeholders, to make further recommendations for the protection of civilians in Sudan.”
Work on these recommendations, informed by the outcomes of the proximity talks convened by Personal Envoy Lamamra and the secretariat’s wide-ranging consultations with key stakeholders led by the Secretariat, is ongoing and will be presented to the Security Council in October.
Mr. President,
We take note of the Council’s recent adoption of resolution 2750 (2024), further extending the sanctions regime first established by resolution 1591 (2005).
The conflict in Sudan is not occurring in a vacuum. The flames of armed violence continue to be fanned by inflows of weapons to Sudan. We call on all Member States to refrain from supplying arms to Sudan and to observe the arms embargo for Darfur, in keeping with relevant Council resolutions.
Mr. President,
As the violence escalates in El Fasher and continues to spread across the Sudan, the risk of atrocities multiply, including gross violence against women. Both the SAF and RSF, and their respective allied groups and militias, continue to show complete disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law.
Violations include summary executions, abductions and enforced disappearances, arbitrary and incommunicado detention of civilians by both parties, subjecting many to torture and other human rights violations. We are alarmed by the shrinking civic space as well as by the ethnically motivated attacks and hate speech, and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
The prevailing impunity, and lack of effective accountability, are a major challenge in Sudan. Human rights violations must stop. Perpetrators must be held accountable for their crimes.
Mr. President,
Immediate action is needed to halt the fighting in El Fasher. I urge members of the Security Council to employ their collective leverage to help protect the population caught in the crossfire.
The upcoming General Assembly marks an additional opportunity for Member States and the United Nations alike to raise the profile of this escalating tragedy. Relevant external players must act responsibly and use their leverage over the warring parties to advance peace efforts.
Personal Envoy Lamamra will continue coordinating international mediation efforts in the Sudan to promote dialogue to end the war, while advancing incremental progress on key issues such as a cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and humanitarian access.
A dangerous new reality has now emerged in the wake of the El Fasher escalation with grave and unpredictable ramifications. It risks a widening and entrenchment of the armed conflict; an even deeper ethnic polarization of Sudanese society; and a further destabilization of the region.
The United Nations remains committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to help bring an end to the conflict, starting with an immediate cessation of hostilities.
I thank you.
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