Sudan Accuses UK of Obstructing UN Session to Deliberate 'Complaint Against UAE'

Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss (AP)
Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss (AP)
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Sudan Accuses UK of Obstructing UN Session to Deliberate 'Complaint Against UAE'

Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss (AP)
Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss (AP)

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday strongly protested Britain’s intervention at the UN Security Council, saying the UK delayed discussion on Sudan's complaint against UAE and changed the meeting format to closed consultations making participation by non-member states like Sudan no longer allowed.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets that the UK disregarded its moral and political responsibility as a permanent member of the Security Council,” the Ministry said in a statement.
It added that the UK position came in pursuit of its commercial interests with the Emirates, making it complacent in the atrocities committed by the terrorist militias and its main sponsor, as well as an advocate of impunity.
On April 26, Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss, requested an emergency Security Council meeting on what he called UAE “aggression” against his country. The meeting was scheduled for Monday, April 29. However, the UK intervened to alter the meeting's agenda and format, transforming it to closed consultations, and preventing Idriss from attending.
During the closed consultations, UN member states demanded that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan cease hostilities around Al-Fashir, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur, and commit to not attacking any city.
They, further, urged regional states to abide by the UNSC Resolution 1591's Darfur arms embargo.
They equally advocated for the resumption of the Jeddah talks, unhindered access to humanitarian aid, and adherence to international humanitarian law. The meeting did not discuss Sudan’s complaint against the Emirates. It only echoed the Council’s statement made on April 27.
On Tuesday, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry described the British intervention at the Security as a “disgraceful move.”
It also criticized the “leniency” exhibited by the Western permanent members of the Security Council to the militia's atrocities and its “sponsor”, the UAE.
“Sudan will use all available means and avenues to safeguard its people, sovereignty, and dignity,” the Ministry statement affirmed.
“The Security Council's credibility and ability to carry out its responsibility in maintaining international peace and security while upholding the values and ideals of the United Nations Charter is currently seriously tested,” it added.

 



Pope Calls Situation in Gaza 'Shameful'

Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
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Pope Calls Situation in Gaza 'Shameful'

Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

Pope Francis on Thursday stepped up his recent criticisms of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful.”

In a yearly address to diplomats delivered on his behalf by an aide, Francis appeared to reference deaths caused by winter cold in Gaza, where there is almost no electricity.

"We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians," the text said, according to Reuters.
"We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country's energy network has been hit."

The pope, 88, was present for the address but asked an aide to read it for him as he is recovering from a cold.

The comments were part of an address to Vatican-accredited envoys from some 184 countries that is sometimes called the pope's 'state of the world' speech. The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See was among those present for the event.

Francis, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts.
But he has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas, and has suggested
the global community should study whether the offensive constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.
An Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff in December for that suggestion.

The pope's text said he condemns anti-Semitism, and called the growth of anti-Semitic groups "a source of deep concern."
Francis also called for an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia, which has killed tens of thousands.