The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote next week on renewing sanctions on Sudan as members remain divided over a U.S.-backed proposal to expand the existing arms embargo beyond Darfur to the entire country.
Greece, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council in October, has tentatively scheduled the vote for October 8, according to Security Council Report.
The sanctions regime, established under Resolution 1591 in 2005, currently includes an arms embargo covering Darfur as well as asset freezes and travel bans targeting individuals accused of violating the measures.
The Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2828 on September 11, extending the sanctions regime for only one month, until October 9, while giving members additional time to negotiate possible changes. The mandate of the UN Panel of Experts monitoring implementation of the sanctions was extended until November 9.
The unusually short extension reflected deep divisions over a U.S. proposal to broaden the arms embargo across Sudan and apply it to all parties to the conflict.
Washington has also sought language explicitly covering drones and related dual-use technology, which have played an increasingly prominent role in Sudan’s war.
The United Kingdom has backed efforts to expand the restrictions, while Russia and China have opposed widening the embargo beyond Darfur.
Security Council Report said the African members of the Council — the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Somalia — along with China, Pakistan and Russia, had supported a straightforward one-year renewal maintaining the existing geographic scope.
Russia has rejected extending the embargo nationwide, while China has also raised objections to elements of the proposed expansion, including language focusing on unmanned aerial vehicles and related systems.
The United States, Britain and Latvia have pushed for more substantial changes to the sanctions framework, arguing that the existing measures no longer adequately reflect the nationwide character of Sudan’s conflict.
With the current measures due to expire on October 9, Council members will have little time to bridge their differences before the scheduled vote.
