UN Security Council Extends Sudan Experts’ Mandate for Two Months

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The UN Security Council unanimously extended on Friday the mandate of the Panel of Experts monitoring sanctions imposed on Sudan over the conflict in Darfur for two months, until November 9, 2026, reaffirming that the situation in Sudan continues to pose a threat to international peace and security.

The extension was adopted under Resolution 2828 as a “technical” extension, without making substantive changes to the panel’s mandate or the sanctions regime.

The decision followed weeks of negotiations over a US-backed proposal to expand the arms embargo imposed on Darfur to cover all of Sudan. Council members remained divided over the effectiveness of the current sanctions regime and whether and how it should be revised to reflect the changing situation on the ground.

The United States said the short-term extension would provide additional time to make substantive changes to the sanctions regime. It called for expanding the arms embargo to cover all of Sudan and broadening the criteria for listing individuals and entities under sanctions to include acts such as conflict-related sexual violence, kidnapping for ransom and attacks on humanitarian workers.

Russia, meanwhile, opposed any expansion of the sanctions, insisting that the extension should remain strictly technical. Sudan welcomed countries that supported its position against expanding the arms embargo to the entire country.

The Security Council established the Panel of Experts on Sudan under Resolution 1591 in 2005 to monitor implementation of sanctions related to Darfur.