UN Security Council extends Sudan sanctions until 11 December — UN News
The UN Security Council unanimously extended the sanctions regime on Sudan for two months, until 11 December 2026. The decision was made amid an acute humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region, where more than 700,000 displaced people in Tawila have limited access to healthcare, food, water and protection, UN News reports.
Sanctions left unchanged
The regime provides for targeted sanctions and an arms embargo. The mandate of the panel of experts monitoring compliance with these restrictions was extended until 11 January 2027. The document prepared by the United States was a so-called technical rollover: its adoption did not change the substance of the current mandate. In September, the Security Council had already extended the sanctions for one month.
The regime dates back to the 2004 Darfur conflict, when the Security Council sought to limit the flow of weapons into the region. According to news reports, the United States proposed extending the embargo to all of Sudan and all parties to the current war, as well as covering drones and dual-use technologies. This proposal did not gain consensus: about half of Security Council members reportedly supported a one-year extension of the regime for Darfur only.
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Shortages of medicines and funding
In September, the World Health Organization representative in Sudan, Abdinasir Abubakar, spent 10 days visiting hospitals, health centres and laboratories in all Darfur states except East Darfur. WHO warned that malnutrition could worsen due to poor rainfall, crop failures and a strong El Niño phenomenon, which are deepening food insecurity.
Health facilities also lack mental health services, while stocks of medicines for HIV, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases are dangerously dwindling. According to the International Organization for Migration, Darfur hosts 65% of Sudan's 8.6 million internally displaced people. WHO said it was ready to expand its work in Darfur, Kordofan and other conflict-affected areas, but only 23% of the organization's $97.7 million humanitarian appeal for 2026 has been funded.
War continues
Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continues to cause significant harm to civilians and humanitarian operations. On 3 October, a driver was killed in an airstrike on two trucks contracted by the World Food Programme in South Kordofan. Diplomatic efforts remain stalled over a US-backed proposal for a 90-day ceasefire, which the army reportedly opposes. Independent investigators appointed by the UN Human Rights Council warned that external support is sustaining the military capabilities of both sides.
