Washington Calls on Sudanese Army to Cede Power to Civilian-Led Gov’t

US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee (Asharq Al-Awsat)
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Washington Calls on Sudanese Army to Cede Power to Civilian-Led Gov’t

US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee (Asharq Al-Awsat)
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Molly Phee, held talks with the Sudanese army leadership during her five-day visit to Khartoum last week.

The visit was aimed at encouraging the Sudanese to make progress in their efforts to establish a framework for a civilian-led transitional government.

She underscored the urgent imperative of ceding power to a civilian-led transitional government and made clear there would be no resumption of US assistance until the democratic transition is restored.

In a statement published on the official Facebook page of the US embassy in Khartoum, Phee said that the time has come for constructive dialogue and action to establish a civilian-led transitional framework.

She pressed for implementation of confidence-building measures, especially holding accountable those responsible for the deaths of 100 protestors, and for an end to the violence against protestors, including sexual and gender-based violence, suffered by thousands more.

“In a decisive meeting brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia on June 9, key actors took steps to build the confidence necessary to enable the inclusive participation of civilian stakeholders in the political process facilitated by the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission to Sudan (UNITAMS), the African Union (AU), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to restore a civilian-led transition to democracy,” the statement read.

Phee affirmed that the United States remains committed to a strong partnership with the people of Sudan in support of their aspirations for freedom, peace, and justice.

The statement further pointed out that Phee met with leaders across the political spectrum, including a broad cross-section of civil society and Resistance Committee representatives, medical doctors and attorneys, women activists, families of martyrs in the pro-democracy struggle, and representatives of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front.

In all of these engagements, the US top official underscored the need for immediate progress and reiterated strong US support for the Sudanese people’s democratic aspirations.



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.