Statement by Oļegs Iļģis, Chargé d'affaires a.i. of Latvia to the UN, at the UN Security Council briefing on the Sudan and South Sudan
26 June 2026
Madam President,
I thank Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo and *UNICEF representative* for their valuable briefings.
I would like to highlight four points.
First, the alarms in and around El Obeid are loud and clear. The RSF build-up around the city points to an imminent risk of mass atrocities. We have seen this pattern before. The situation demands continued pressure and vigilance.
The RSF must immediately cease its assault on El Obeid. Civilians must be protected, those fleeing violence must be allowed safe passage, and humanitarian access must be immediate, safe and unimpeded. The warning signs are grave: siege-like conditions, continued drone attacks, damage to civilian infrastructure, and hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk. At this critical moment our call is clear. Stop it. Do not enable it.
Second, this war must be de-escalated - now.
El Obeid is the clearest warning sign of a conflict consuming Sudan. But the pattern extends far beyond one city. Across the country, civilians are being killed by shelling and airstrikes.
Hospitals, markets and essential infrastructure have been targeted and destroyed as both parties continue to pursue military gains over civilian protection. Drone strikes alone have killed more than 1,000 civilians in the first five months of this year.
We call on the SAF and the RSF to cease hostilities immediately and to comply fully with international humanitarian law. The flow of arms, financing and other external assistance must also stop. All States must comply with relevant Council measures, including the arms embargo.
Latvia commends the efforts of the United States and the Quad to advance a humanitarian truce and bring the parties to the table.
Third, justice and accountability must be at the heart of any credible path to peace. In El Fasher at least 1,300 children have reportedly been killed or maimed since April 2024, with verified reports of sexual violence, abductions and the recruitment and use of children by armed actors. With around 8 million children out of school, the question is: what future are Sudan’s children being offered - a classroom, a battlefield, or no future?
UN human rights reporting indicates that the RSF and affiliated armed groups bear predominant responsibility for documented cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, abduction and sexual slavery. OHCHR has described such violence as a tactic of war and has indicated that these acts may amount to war crimes, and in some cases crimes against humanity.
The SG’s report on conflict-related sexual violence reminds us that more than 65% of listed parties, including parties to the conflict in Sudan, are persistent perpetrators. This is impunity - and it allows these crimes to be repeated.
Survivors must receive comprehensive support. Evidence must be preserved. And perpetrators must be held accountable. Sudan cannot heal if impunity is left intact.
Fourth, Sudan needs a civilian political future, not armed rule. Latvia welcomes the outcomes of the Berlin Conference and supports the Quintet’s efforts - including the recent consultations in Addis Ababa - to advance a comprehensive and inclusive Sudanese civilian-led dialogue.
A sustainable resolution must be rooted in a Sudanese-owned, inclusive and civilian-led political process. This process must bring together a broad spectrum of Sudanese civilian and political actors, including women, youth, civil society and representatives of Sudan’s geographic and social diversity. It must be credible, transparent and free from coercion. Sudan’s future cannot be decided by those with guns alone.
Madam President,
The war in Sudan has long outgrown the boundaries of an internal conflict and is now one of the world’s most regionalized wars. That is why sustained international and regional engagement is indispensable. Latvia strongly supports the vital efforts of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Pekka Haavisto, to advance de-escalation, strengthen regional and international coordination, and help restore a Sudanese-owned path towards peace.
Thank you!