Committee on Resolution 1591 (2005) Committed to Working with Sudan, All Relevant Stakeholders towards Making Peace Reality, Chair Tells Security Council
The sanctions regime on Sudan was established solely to help bring peace to Darfur and not to punish Khartoum, the Head of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) emphasized to the Security Council as she presented her quarterly update today.
Carolyn Abena Anima Oppong-Ntiri (Ghana), Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan, briefed the 15-member organ on its activities for the period from 13 September to the present day.
During this reporting period, the Committee received the second quarterly report of the Panel of Experts on the Sudan and heard updates about the Juba Peace Agreement, implementation process, regional situation, status of armed groups and the protection of civilians. The Panel, she noted, is currently conducting its investigations in Sudan, including in Darfur.
“I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that the sanctions regime was established for the sole purpose of helping to bring peace to Darfur. It is not to punish Sudan, but to support the attainment of sustainable peace,” she said, reaffirming the Committee’s commitment to work with Khartoum and all relevant stakeholders to make this a reality.
Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed (Sudan) said the situation in Darfur has improved as he spotlighted several political developments since July 2004 which included the revolution in 2018, the 2019 Political Agreement for the Establishment of Governing Structures and Institutions in the Transitional Period, the 2019 Interim Constitutional Declaration and the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement, among others. While there are intermittent communal conflicts, these clashes are not politically driven. They are instead due to issues related to land, water, climate and the environment, he stressed.
The security situation in Darfur, he continued, has significantly improved to the extent that African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) has terminated its mandate. However, transboundary militias and the adverse impacts of the regional situation still cast a shadow on overall regional security. In addressing the demands of certain countries, he noted that peace cannot be quantified by an index on the absence of total violence. “This is a utopian request that has never been achieved since Adam’s fall from Eden,” he emphasized. Despite certain security and political challenges, the transitional Government continues to undertake commendable steps with partners to facilitate sustainable peace in the region. As such, the international community must honour its pledges, he urged.
He then highlighted the reconciliation meetings in West Darfur and South Darfur over the past month under the auspices of the Vice-President of the Sovereign Council, the State’s upholding of the rule of law and its security arrangements through the purchase of related equipment. Such successes provide impetus to the dynamics of peace, he said.
Turning to the report of the Secretary-General titled “Situation in the Sudan and the activities of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan” (document S/2022/898), he noted that most of its indices are unquantifiable and unimplementable. They, he pointed out, extend beyond the context of Darfur in that they focus on the national level. On requests to accelerate the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement, he underscored the report’s silence concerning both the reluctance of donors to honour their pledges and the sanctions which need to be reassessed in line with Council resolution 2620 (2022).
Sudan continues to implement its national plan for the protection of civilians, which includes creating a joint security force between the Government and parties to peace, he said. In reiterating his country’s constructive support to the international efforts to achieve peace in Darfur, he requested the Council to terminate the mandate of the independent experts panel and end sanctions by March 2023.
The meeting began at 10:03 a.m. and ended at 10:13 a.m.
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* The 9209th Meeting was closed.