Security Council Committees Concerning Sudan, Libya, South Sudan Meet to Discuss Activities of Darfuri Armed Groups in Libya, South Sudan

On 10 November 2017, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan‑held first‑ever joint informal consultations with the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya and the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2206 (2015) concerning South Sudan.

At the initiative of the Chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee following his visit to Sudan in May 2017, the three Committees met to discuss the spread of Darfuri armed groups into Libya and South Sudan and a common approach to addressing the issue.  The Panels of Experts on the Sudan, Libya and South Sudan also participated and briefed the three Committees.

The three Panels reported that Darfuri armed groups had spread beyond Sudan’s borders to Libya and South Sudan, where they were engaged in arms trafficking, mercenary and other illicit activities.  The Panels also informed that the armed groups’ activities were intertwined with the respective challenges faced by those States.

Meeting participants noted how Darfuri armed groups and their illicit movements across borders contributed to the proliferation of weapons and the destabilization of the situation in the region.  They stressed the need to continue advancing the peace processes and assisting in institution‑building in the three States.  Participants also discussed how the sanctions measures could help address the challenges facing the three States and the region, noting that the cross‑border threats posed by Darfuri armed groups attested to the importance of synergies between the Committees, the Panels of Experts and the United Nations field missions on the ground.