ISLAMABAD: Pakistan called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan on Wednesday, stressing the need for a political resolution to the nearly two-year conflict that has displaced about 12 million people, roughly a quarter of the African state’s population.
Hostilities in Sudan erupted in April 2023 due to a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), escalating into a full-scale civil war. The fighting has caused a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions facing acute hunger and displacement.
Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, urged all parties to implement an unconditional ceasefire and engaging in dialogue for a sustainable political resolution during a Security Council briefing.
“We call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan,” Jadoon told the world body. “Both parties must respect the inviolability of human life during this blessed month.”
Jadoon reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to Sudan’s unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as he condemned attempts to establish parallel governments, warning that such actions threatened to further fragment the country.
Highlighting the dire humanitarian situation, he mentioned the acute hunger and food insecurity affecting millions, noting the crisis could have serious repercussions beyond Sudan’s borders.
He called for urgent international action, noting that over 24.6 million people face acute food insecurity while commending the Sudanese government’s efforts to open additional air, sea and land borders for humanitarian assistance.
The Pakistani diplomat also demanded an end to violations of international humanitarian law, emphasizing the need for the full implementation of the Jeddah Declaration on the Protection of Civilians, which was agreed upon by both warring parties.
“We reiterate our condemnation of Rapid Support Forces (RSF)’s attack on the only functioning hospital in the besieged El-Fasher, the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital, which took more than 70 innocent lives,” he said, referring to the targeting of the medical facility last month.
Jadoon stressed the importance of a comprehensive and inclusive political process to address Sudan’s multidimensional challenges.
He called on the UN to explore ways to support the Sudanese government’s proposed political roadmap as part of a broader peace initiative.
Pakistan calls for immediate ceasefire in Sudan during Ramadan, urges political resolution
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Pakistan calls for immediate ceasefire in Sudan during Ramadan, urges political resolution
- Pakistani diplomat at UN condemns attack on Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital that killed more than 70
- He warns against attempts to establish parallel governments in Sudan, saying it will fragment the country
Hundreds of migrants, including Pakistanis, land in Greece after search operation at sea
- Rescued migrants were taken to a temporary facility on Crete after reaching the port of Agia Galini
- Greece has made deportations of rejected asylum seekers a priority under its migration policy
ATHENS: Greece’s Coast Guard rescued about 540 migrants from a fishing boat off Europe’s southernmost island of Gavdos on Friday, one of the biggest groups to reach the country in recent months.
The migrants were found during a Greek search operation some 16 nautical miles (29.6 km) off Gavdos, a Coast Guard statement said. They are all well and are being taken to a temporary facility on the nearby island of Crete after reaching the port of Agia Galini, a Coast Guard official said, adding most of the migrants were men from Bangladesh, Egypt and Pakistan.
In a separate incident on Thursday, the EU’s border agency Frontex rescued 65 men and five women from two migrant boats in distress off Gavdos, the Greek Coast Guard said.
Greece was on the front line of a 2015-16 migration crisis when more than a million people from the Middle East and Africa landed on its shores before moving on to other European countries, mainly Germany.
Flows have ebbed since then, but both Crete and Gavdos — the two Mediterranean islands nearest to the African coast — have seen a steep rise in migrant boats, mainly from Libya, reaching their shores over the past year and deadly accidents remain common along that route.
Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Italy will be eligible for help in dealing with migratory pressures under a new EU mechanism when the bloc’s pact on migration and asylum enters into force in mid-2026.
The center-right government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said deportation of rejected asylum seekers will be a priority.
