Statement by Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia | UNSC Briefing on Sudan
New York, 24 August 2026
Mr. President,
I thank Denmark for convening today’s meeting.
We also thank the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, and the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, for their insightful briefings.
The war in Sudan continues to expand, but its consequences are most evident in the lives of civilians and in the devastation around them.
I wish to emphasize three key points.
First, the military path must give way to diplomacy.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) must immediately cease hostilities and strictly adhere to international humanitarian law.
Those with influence over the warring parties must exercise it to bring them to the negotiating table—not to sustain or prolong the conflict. The flow of weapons, financing, and other external support fuelling this war must end.
Latvia strongly supports the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Mr. Pekka Haavisto. All parties must engage seriously and constructively with his good offices.
We also welcome the efforts of the Quad and the Quintet toward securing a humanitarian truce, a permanent ceasefire, and a genuine political process.
We encourage the Quintet to further broaden participation and advance a credible, inclusive, and Sudanese-owned transition.
A civilian-led political process must ensure the meaningful participation of women, youth, and civil society—not as an afterthought, but as essential participants in shaping Sudan's future.
Furthermore, those sustaining local communities through this war must be protected and heard. This includes Emergency Response Room volunteers, local aid workers, human rights defenders, documenters, journalists and others.
At the same time, we firmly reject any attempts to establish parallel governance, educational, or administrative structures. Such actions only deepen divisions, institutionalize fragmentation, and risk further undermining Sudan's unity.
Second, Latvia’s approach is guided by a commitment to the protection and future of the Sudanese people.
When schools, hospitals, and markets are repeatedly struck, and power and water infrastructure destroyed, this can no longer be dismissed as a mere by-product of war.
As the use of drones expands across Sudan, the deliberate destruction of basic conditions necessary for civilian survival is becoming a defining feature of this conflict.
Consider the reality for a woman or girl in El Obeid today: even collecting water means choosing between the risk of drone strikes by day or sexual violence by night. No civilian should ever be forced to make such a choice.
For thousands of others, the violence simply drives them from their homes. Nearly 10,000 people were newly displaced across North Kordofan and Blue Nile in recent days alone, following the displacement of another 18,000 people in West Darfur just a week prior.
The protection of civilians cannot remain subordinate to military objectives, yet both parties continue to act with total disregard for this fundamental obligation.
We must also be clear about responsibility. Holding all parties accountable does not mean equating their actions.
Accountability is not a competition; differences in the scale and gravity of violations must be recognized, but each party remains strictly answerable for its own conduct.
Third, international humanitarian law remains the indispensable framework for protecting civilians in armed conflict. It binds all parties in Sudan, without exception.
Reaffirming these obligations is meaningless unless matched by decisive action when violations persist.
The Security Council must make full use of its available instruments. This includes expanding the geographic scope of the 1591 (izruna fifteen ninety-one) sanctions regime— including the arms embargo and listing criteria—to reflect a conflict that has long expanded beyond Darfur.
We must also send an unmistakable signal: planning, directing, or committing acts of sexual and gender-based violence will carry direct consequences.
What is needed now is a renewed commitment from this Council to a simple principle: violations must not meet with impunity.
Mr. President,
Let me conclude with one principle on which this Council must agree: there is no military solution to the war in Sudan.
Let us act on that premise together: demand a ceasefire, support a credible political process, protect civilians, and hold perpetrators accountable for violations.
Thank you.