Toothless Statements!

Manazeer, Sunday, October 18, 2026, Zuhair Al-Sarraj, manazzeer@yahoo.com. The Security Council meets every day, listens to reports, issues statements, and expresses grave concern, then the meeting adjourns and its members go home. Meanwhile, the killing in Sudan continues, drones keep reaping the lives of civilians, and hunger haunts millions of Sudanese who have lost their homes and livelihoods. What remains of the Security Council other than statements, and where is the international community that is only incapable of taking action when the victims are Sudanese or citizens of poor countries?! In its last meeting on Sudan on October 16, the Security Council once again listened to reports about the expansion of the fighting and the continuation of airstrikes and drone attacks targeting civilians and their facilities. Before that, the United Nations had repeatedly warned of the danger of famine, demanded the delivery of aid, and called on both parties to the war to stop the fighting. Yet, the war continues, the scope of destruction widens, and the number of victims, displaced persons, and hungry people increases. What is the use of these meetings if they are not followed by measures that stop the killing and protect civilians? Has the function of the Security Council become to record disasters after they happen, rather than preventing them before they occur? Drones reap civilian lives every day, strike vital facilities, and increase the suffering of the population who are already living under the burden of war. Hunger threatens millions, including children who cannot find enough to satisfy their hunger, and families displaced by war who cannot afford food and medicine, while calls for restraint and de-escalation are repeated—without a listener or an answer. Why do statements of concern turn into decisions, sanctions, and urgent movements when a major power or an important ally is attacked, while pleas are merely repeated when the victims are in Sudan or other third-world countries? Are the lives of Sudanese not equal to the lives of others, or is the value of a human being measured by the name of their country and their position in the calculations of international interests? In 2005, the United Nations adopted the principle of 'Responsibility to Protect,' which obligates states to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity, and recognizes the responsibility of the international community to assist in this protection and to act through appropriate means in accordance with the UN Charter. So where is this principle in relation to the Sudanese disaster, and why does it remain confined to documents and speeches while violations continue and civilians face the danger of death, hunger, and displacement? We are not demanding a new war or military intervention outside of international law. We demand the activation of the responsibility to protect, the use of available tools to stop the targeting of civilians, the enforcement of respect for international humanitarian law, the securing of unimpeded aid access, the holding of those responsible for crimes accountable, and serious pressure on anyone who supplies either party to the war with weapons or helps it continue. The Security Council possesses political and legal tools that can be used, including targeted sanctions, expanding arms embargo measures, and holding those proven to be involved in violations accountable, instead of settling for statements that change nothing on the ground. The Sudanese people do not need more statements of concern, but rather real protection. A hungry person is not satisfied by a statement, a child killed by a drone is not brought back to life by a UN condemnation, and a family dying of hunger is not saved by a new session of the Security Council. Enough with toothless statements. The Sudanese have paid a staggering price for a war they did not choose, and it is their right to see the international community act to protect them, not just watch their tragedy and record it in reports! The post Toothless Statements! appeared first on Sudanile.