Security Council: No name

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Mansour Ayyad Sh. A. Alotaibi (Kuwait):

The road to peace in Afghanistan is still long, but with united support for the country’s ownership of the peace process, there is reason for cautious optimism, the Special Representative told the Security Council today, stressing that ongoing talks between the United States and the Taliban offer hope for ending years of fighting in the Central Asian country.

Sudan is legally obliged to transfer former President Omer Hassan Ahmed al‑Bashir and two other suspects detained in the Darfur situation to the International Criminal Court, the Chief Prosecutor told the Security Council today, outlining her willingness to engage with authorities to ensure they face impartial justice — either in The Hague or in the politically volatile country.

Senior United Nations officials sounded alarms in the Security Council today over increased fighting in north-west Syria among parties trying to advance their military interests, pointing to “unimaginable” consequences if critical players do not exert the political will needed to end the protracted conflict.

The Force Commanders of peacekeeping missions in Darfur and Cyprus briefed the Security Council today on their cooperation with host countries, focusing on civilian protection, improving personnel performance and navigating complex sociopolitical shifts — including those currently unfolding in Sudan.

On 7 June 2019, the Group of Experts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo transmitted its final report to the President of the Security Council (S/2019/469). The report is currently available on the Committee’s website via the following link:  www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1533/work-and-mandate/expert-reports.

The “unwinnable” conflict in Yemen is worsening, with 20 million Yemenis lacking enough food and only marginal changes in power dynamics since fighting broke out in 2015, top United Nations officials warned the Security Council today, amid calls for parties to fully implement the Stockholm and Hodeidah Agreements designed to end the acute humanitarian crisis.

The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Burundi is planning to return to East Africa for consultations alongside Uganda President Yoweri Museveni that will form the basis of the Secretary-General’s recommendations on the way forward in that country, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, told the Security Council today.

Given the significant political developments unfolding in Sudan, the Security Council must carefully consider the options for the drawdown and liquidation of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the head of United Nations peacekeeping said today.

With Middle East crises occupying a significant portion of its agenda, the Security Council today expressed its intention to promote closer cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States in the fields of conflict early warning, prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and sustaining peace.