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Sudan Asks UN to Deploy Peacekeeping Mission

Sudanese PM Abdalla Hamdouk met Sunday with UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres (Sudan news agency SUNA)
Sudanese PM Abdalla Hamdouk met Sunday with UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres (Sudan news agency SUNA)
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Sudan Asks UN to Deploy Peacekeeping Mission

Sudanese PM Abdalla Hamdouk met Sunday with UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres (Sudan news agency SUNA)
Sudanese PM Abdalla Hamdouk met Sunday with UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres (Sudan news agency SUNA)

The Sudanese government asked the United Nations to deploy a peacekeeping mission in the country as soon as possible under Chapter 6 of the UN charter, covering the entire territory of Sudan.

In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, the request comes in the backdrop of discussions in the United Nations this month on the post-UNAMID arrangements in Sudan.

The request, which was presented by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on January 22, includes supporting the implementation of the Constitutional Declaration, supporting peace efforts in Juba, mobilization of international economic assistance for Sudan, coordination of humanitarian assistance, and offering technical support to the constitutional making.

The request explains that the transition model in Sudan bears all elements of success and that the international community, including the United Nations, should now come to help with urgent issues raised and to lay the foundation for Sudan's path towards peace and prosperity.

It also indicated that the UN country team should shift its approach from project-based and short-term assistance to long-term development programming that would help Sudan achieve sustainable development goals by 2030.

On the sidelines of his participation in the 33rd African Summit in Addis Ababa on Sunday, Hamdok met with Guterres and discussed the developments in Sudan and South Sudan and the challenges facing the Inter-Governmental Agency for Development.

The UN Chief affirmed the UN support to the transitional period and the Prime Minister, pointing to the international organization’s readiness to provide all the possible assistance to overcome the difficult stage in Sudan.

“The UN Secretary-General is well aware of the difficulties and complications facing the transitional period,” said a press release issued by the PM office.

Guterres renewed his stance to support the removal of Sudan’s name from the list of the countries-sponsoring terrorism, indicating that he will discuss the issue with the US concerned officials.

For his part, Hamdok briefed the UN official on the current developments in Sudan and the difficulties facing the transitional government, in addition to the ongoing efforts for making peace in South Sudan State.

Separately, the German government said that Chancellor Angela Merkel would receive the Sudanese PM in Berlin next Friday, indicating that the meeting will discuss the economic and political situation in the country.

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Sudan's Interior Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Khartoum Secure, Police Deployed Across Capital

Sudan's Interior Minister Babiker Samra. (Sovereignty Council media)
Sudan's Interior Minister Babiker Samra. (Sovereignty Council media)
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Sudan's Interior Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Khartoum Secure, Police Deployed Across Capital

Sudan's Interior Minister Babiker Samra. (Sovereignty Council media)
Sudan's Interior Minister Babiker Samra. (Sovereignty Council media)

Sudan's Interior Minister Babiker Samra has urged residents who fled the capital during the war to return, saying Khartoum is now secure following a major police deployment across the city.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Samra said the return of displaced citizens would help reinforce security, noting that "some armed groups operate in deserted neighborhoods with low civilian presence."

"There's no place on earth entirely free of crime, but we are now in a post-war phase, and the police have complete control over the capital and other areas," he said, adding that residents should report any assaults to the police, whose stations now operate around the clock.

Sudanese forces recaptured Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in May, after more than two years of fighting that devastated the city and forced millions to flee.

The war, which erupted on April 15, 2023, between the army and the RSF, turned Khartoum and surrounding cities like Omdurman into battlegrounds.

Samra dismissed reports that armed groups disguised in military uniforms were still threatening civilians, saying such groups had been neutralized. "The regular forces are disciplined and protect citizens from criminal gangs," he said.

Crackdown on antiquities smuggling

The minister also revealed that foreign nationals were arrested in the northern city of Atbara attempting to smuggle Sudanese antiquities out of the country. They are now facing trial, though Samra declined to specify their nationalities or intended destination.

"These individuals are part of a criminal network specialized in antiquities theft," he said.

The RSF had previously been accused of looting Sudan’s national museums during the war, with artifacts dating back thousands of years allegedly stolen or destroyed.

Samra pledged to recover smuggled antiquities through cooperation with Interpol. "We are receiving important updates and expect to retrieve key items soon," he said, blaming the RSF for attempting to alter Sudan’s demographic and cultural identity by targeting universities and museums.

A joint committee from the criminal investigation department and the Ministry of Culture has been formed to catalogue looted artifacts and open official cases. "We’ve shared our findings with Interpol," Samra said.

Rebuilding police infrastructure

The minister said restoring damaged police stations targeted by what he called "terrorist militias" remains a key challenge, though some facilities have already been rehabilitated.

He said the Interior Ministry has resumed operations in Khartoum, with 98 out of 101 police stations back online and equipped with both static and mobile patrols.

"When the war broke out, police were present in the capital. But after our facilities were destroyed, we had to relocate forces to safer areas like Karari locality," he added.

Khartoum has seen a gradual return of displaced residents from other states, despite ongoing violence in parts of the country. The army-aligned government, which relocated to the coastal city of Port Sudan early in the war, has been working to restore basic services and bury the dead.

Monumental rebuilding task

Prime Minister Kamal Idris vowed Saturday to rebuild Khartoum, during his first visit to the capital since taking office in May. Touring the destroyed airport, bridges, and water stations, Idris unveiled ambitious reconstruction plans aimed at encouraging millions of displaced residents to return.

"Khartoum will rise again as a proud national capital," he declared.

Army chief and head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, also arrived at the airport, which was retaken by the army in March after nearly two years under RSF control. The government has estimated the total cost of rebuilding Sudan at $700 billion, with Khartoum alone accounting for nearly half that amount.

Idris later visited the destroyed al-Jaili refinery north of the capital, promising its restoration. The facility, once processing 100,000 barrels per day, was recaptured in January, but repairs are expected to take years and cost at least $1.3 billion.

Meanwhile, the government continues to remove unexploded ordnance and reestablish administrative services in the devastated city, underscoring the immense task of rebuilding Sudan’s capital from the ruins of war.