National Umma Party Welcomes UN Mission ‘without Infringing on Sudan’s Sovereignty’

United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) personnel erect barbed wire fencing around Tomping camp in Juba January 7, 2014. (Reuters)
United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) personnel erect barbed wire fencing around Tomping camp in Juba January 7, 2014. (Reuters)
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National Umma Party Welcomes UN Mission ‘without Infringing on Sudan’s Sovereignty’

United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) personnel erect barbed wire fencing around Tomping camp in Juba January 7, 2014. (Reuters)
United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) personnel erect barbed wire fencing around Tomping camp in Juba January 7, 2014. (Reuters)

Sudan’s National Umma Party, headed by Sadiq al-Mahdi, welcomed the United Nations' approval to send a political mission to the country under Chapter 6 of the UN charter.

In a statement on Saturday, the party welcomed the UN assistance without transferring all of the country's civil administration tasks to the UN committee.

It called on political forces to agree on the role required by the mission to ensure it does not infringe on national sovereignty.

On Feb. 10, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok asked the UN to deploy a peacekeeping mission in the country as soon as possible.

The request includes supporting the implementation of the Constitutional Declaration and peace efforts in Juba, mobilizing international economic assistance for Sudan, coordinating in humanitarian assistance issues and offering technical support to the constitutional making.

In other news, the Umma Party called for easing the escalation between Egypt and Ethiopia and avoiding the use of force in their differences over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

It urged the Sudanese government to seek all means to reconcile both countries in order to reach mutually acceptable solutions.

Mahdi expressed in a statement his regret over the “cold war” between Egypt and Ethiopia, praising US efforts to mediate an agreement among the Nile Basin countries.

He urged holding a UN-sponsored conference for all Nile Bain countries to resolve the dispute and reach a common agreement.

On Feb. 29, Egypt was the only country to initial a deal in Washington on the filling and operation of the $4 billion GERD. Ethiopia skipped the meeting.

The Arab League issued a resolution on March 4, stressing the importance of preserving the rights of Sudan and Egypt to Nile River waters.

It also banned any unilateral measures from Ethiopia, binding it to the principles of international law.

The decision was rejected by Ethiopia and Sudan expressed reservations because it was not consulted over it.



UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)

UN officials on Monday asked for $6 billion for Sudan this year from donors to help ease what they called the world's worst ever hunger catastrophe and the mass displacement of people brought on by civil war.

The UN appeal represents a rise of more than 40% from last year's for Sudan at a time when aid budgets around the world are under strain, partly due to a pause in funding announced by US President Donald Trump last month that has affected life-saving programs across the globe.

The UN says the funds are necessary because the impact of the 22-month war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - that has already displaced a fifth of its population and stoked severe hunger among around half its population - looks set to worsen.

World Food Program chief Cindy McCain, speaking via video to a room full of diplomats in Geneva, said: "Sudan is now the epicenter of the world's largest and most severe hunger crisis ever."

She did not provide figures, but Sudan's total population currently stands at about 48 million people. Among previous world famines, the Bengal Famine of 1943 claimed between 2 million and 3 million lives, according to several estimates, while millions are believed to have died in the Great Chinese Famine of 1959-61.

Famine conditions have been reported in at least five locations in Sudan, including displacement camps in Darfur, a UN statement said, and this was set to worsen with continued fighting and the collapse of basic services.

"This is a humanitarian crisis that is truly unprecedented in its scale and its gravity and it demands a response unprecedented in scale and intent," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said.

One of the famine-stricken camps was attacked by the RSF last week as the group tries to tighten its grip on its Darfur stronghold.

While some aid agencies say they have received waivers from Washington to provide aid in Sudan, uncertainty remains on the extent of coverage for providing famine relief.

The UN plan aims to reach nearly 21 million people within the country, making it the most ambitious humanitarian response so far for 2025, and requires $4.2 billion - the rest being for those displaced by the conflict.