Sudan

Madam President Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly,

Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Your Majesties, Heads of State and Government,

Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Heads of Delegations,

Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.

I congratulate Ms. Annalena Baerbock on her election as President of the General Assembly for its 80th session. I also congratulate Mr. Philemon Yang on his presidency of the General Assembly during its previous session, and we appreciate his good performance and the efforts he made for peace.

We give special recognition to His Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres, for his tireless efforts and valuable initiatives for peace and justice, for realizing the goals and principles of the United Nations, and for his support for the causes of developing countries.

I stand before you today on behalf of Sudan's civilian government and on behalf of the honourable Sudanese people, and in fulfilment of the pledge made by His Excellency President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, from within this important international forum, to appoint a civilian Prime Minister with independent powers, in order to entrench the values of civilian governance and democratic transition.

I stand before you, from the banks of the Nile — from the land where history runs as deep as the river itself, from where the deserts know the footprints of our ancient kingdoms and where in this present hour, the dust still carries the scent of war. Sudan has bled. Our villages and cities have fallen silent under the shadow of unprecedented war, unprecedented invasion; our fields have withered; our children have known fear before they have known the fullness of life.

And yet, and yet amid the ashes, there is a unique pulse that refuses to die. It beats in the refugee's quiet prayer, in the farmer who plants though he may never reap and in the mother who sings her child to sleep beneath an open sky.

From that pulse, I share with you these words:

"Hope renewed in our unity, and strength found in our peace."

Sudán: es una gran civilización. Sus recursos son necesarios para todo el mundo. [Sudan is a great civilization. Its resources are needed by the whole world.]

Madam President,

We are witnessing great challenges and facing many risks that assail the principles of the Charter and multilateralism, amid threats to regional and international stability, as the rules of international law erode, and crimes of genocide and aggression escalate, and foreign mercenaries are employed to occupy the territories of states and slaughter peoples in contempt of the Charter and in violation of international law — as is happening now in my country.

Madam President,

We should build trust and commit to transparency, and strengthen the role of the General Assembly, preventive diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of disputes, whereby the capacities and role of the United Nations can be enhanced through collective action and multilateral international cooperation, and we can benefit from the momentum generated by the UN80 initiative, the outcomes of the Summit of the Future, and major international conferences.

Despite international consensus and agreement on the illegitimacy of sanctions and unilateral coercive measures, which violate the rules of international law, these sanctions continue to be imposed for political reasons, threatening the values and bonds of international cooperation and international relations, and peoples' rights to development, welfare and the enjoyment of human rights, especially in developing and least developed countries.

We are also concerned about the political exploitation of human rights, or their use as a means of pressure on our country, without regard to the economic dimensions of human rights that are affected by these sanctions and unilateral measures. We also renew our rejection of hate speech, racism, extremism, Islamophobia and all forms of discrimination and racial superiority that have come to threaten humanity as a whole.

Madam President,

The people of Sudan have been exposed over the past three years to existential risks and threats due to the crimes of the rebel Rapid Support Forces militia, as Sudanese were forced to leave their homes and their homeland under the weight of systematic killing, torture, looting, rape, humiliation, and the savage destruction of every foundation of life — and all of this was intentional in itself, part of an integrated project to control Sudan, plunder its wealth, and change the demographic composition of its population.

Preserving the sovereignty of the state and its firmly established national institutions is a top priority and an existential issue for the Sudanese people. Civilian transition and democratic transformation under the leadership of the civilian Government of Hope, and the establishment of peace, will therefore not be achieved without the existence and strengthening of these national institutions that preserve the sovereignty of the state and its territorial integrity. The international community must work to stop the flow of advanced, deadly weapons to the terrorist militia, condemn it, criminalize it, classify it as a terrorist group, and stop the flow of mercenaries.

The violation of resolution 1591 threatens the continuation of the war, prolongs its duration and the suffering of civilians, reduces the chances of reaching peace, and threatens the safety, unity and stability of Sudan and the entire region.

Achieving comprehensive peace in Sudan requires the participation of Sudanese political forces and sectors of the Sudanese people in decision-making and in determining their own future, because they are the true stakeholders — far from foreign interventions or influences, hasty partial solutions, or support for ethnic political extremism that plans to destroy Sudan.

We affirm the commitment of the Government of Sudan to the roadmap, which was contributed to by a range of national forces and civil organizations, and which we submitted to the United Nations and to mediators. It includes a ceasefire accompanied by the withdrawal of the terrorist Rapid Support Forces militia from the areas and cities it occupies, and the lifting of the siege on the city of El Fasher and its surroundings, in implementation of Security Council resolution 2736, issued more than a year ago. It also includes the dignified and safe return of the displaced and refugees, facilitating the arrival of humanitarian assistance to those in need and affected, and continuing the political transitional process toward democracy. In this regard, advanced steps have already been taken to implement this roadmap: I have formed a civilian government of technocrats that will engage in a comprehensive Sudanese-Sudanese national dialogue involving all political and societal forces, in order to lay the basis for reaching free and fair elections, and to work for positive engagement with the regional and international community.

In this framework, the government has committed, and continues to commit, to facilitating all procedures for Sudanese in the diaspora to return and engage in this important historic dialogue.

Madam President,

Among the priorities of the civilian Government of Hope is working to achieve goals that include: achieving peace as a top priority, establishing the rule of law, combating poverty and corruption in all their forms, activating transitional justice and accountability and ending impunity; pursuing a balanced foreign policy and positive engagement with international and regional organizations; providing services in electricity, water, security and pensions; revitalizing rural development and national healthcare; preparing for comprehensive national elections with regional and international monitoring; working to remove the remnants of war and return to the capital, Khartoum, and begin reconstruction and rebuilding efforts; raising the efficiency of the health sector; and raising the rate of participation of women and youth in the national dialogue for peace.

Madam President,

We affirm the commitment of the Government of Sudan to international humanitarian law. The Government of Sudan has developed a comprehensive national plan to protect civilians, which it submitted to the Security Council and the Secretary-General, covering all aspects of protection, including the formation of a national protection mechanism and facilitating the arrival of humanitarian assistance, supporting the humanitarian efforts of the United Nations, upholding the rule of law and accountability, working to stop the proliferation of weapons, combating violence against women and children, addressing the issues of the displaced and refugees, and achieving comprehensive peace — as well as signing the cooperation framework with the United Nations. In this regard, the government renews its commitment to facilitating, protecting and allowing the passage of humanitarian assistance through all agreed crossings designated by the Government of Sudan.

The continued international silence regarding the crimes of the rebel terrorist militia — its siege of the city of El Fasher, its bombing of camps for the displaced, places of worship and educational institutions, the looting of markets and public and private property, and the destruction of health facilities throughout the country — amounts to encouragement, a green light for it to continue its crimes and violations.

Our doors will remain open to the United Nations and to regional and international organizations, and we call on the international community to support the choices of the Sudanese people and their civilian government, and to support African solutions to conflicts through will and national ownership, without guardianship.

Madam President,

The serious deterioration and escalating tension, and the state that conditions in the Middle East region have reached — especially the catastrophic conditions in occupied Palestine and the Gaza Strip — portend grave consequences for the region and its peoples. We renew our conviction that there is no stability or security in the region except through a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause that enables the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem, within the borders of June 1967, in accordance with international resolutions and legitimacy.

In this context, we condemn the flagrant Israeli attack on the sovereignty of the sisterly State of Qatar, which threatens international peace and security.

Sans paix, il n'y a pas d'avenir. [Without peace, there is no future.]

We are fully supportive of peace and security, human rights and Sustainable Development Goals, without which there will be no lasting peace. However, our sovereignty and territorial integrity are red lines. We will never give up, promise we will never give up.

In conclusion, Madam President, as Prime Minister of the civilian Government of Hope, I will do everything in my power to vindicate the dignity and pride of the Sudanese people, and we will not accept any dictates that conflict with the sovereignty of our country, its national security, and its national ownership in achieving a just peace.

Thank you, Madam President.