Security Council

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Nicolas de Rivière (France):

Persistent terrorist attacks, maritime insecurity and rising political tension are just some of the backdrops against which countries of Central Africa are now battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the senior United Nations official in the region told the Security Council during a 12 June videoconference meeting, noting that 22,000 cases of the virus have already been confirmed across 11 countries.

Building a politically stable, more secure Mali requires “collective and sustained commitment”, along with continued support for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the country, Secretary‑General António Guterres told the Security Council during a 11 June videoconference meeting.

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court urged the Security Council and wider international community to encourage Sudan to do more to help bring Darfur war crimes suspects to justice, during a 10 June videoconference meeting that took place a day after the surrender of a key fugitive.

Sudan’s representative urged the Security Council during a videoconference meeting on 9 June to begin lifting the sanctions that it imposed on Khartoum over the conflict in Darfur, as the 15-member organ took up the latest report of its Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) amid concerns over COVID-19’s impact on internally displaced persons in the country.

If the current chemicals used for Al-Shabaab’s homemade explosives become scarce, the group would shift to other sources of explosive materials or precursors, possibly through illicit smuggling, the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia said during a 9 June videoconference meeting.

The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals — the successor to two dedicated courts for war crimes committed in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia — saw major strides forward in recent months, including capturing a high-profile fugitive sought for more than 20 years, its senior officials told the Security Council during an 8 June videoconference meeting.

The Security Council, acting unanimously in a 5 June videoconference meeting, decided to extend for one year a series of authorizations for Member States to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya suspected of violating that country’s arms embargo.

COVID-19 has added a layer of complexity to the highly volatile security situation in the Sahel, with terrorists capitalizing on the pandemic to undermine State authority and launch unrelenting attacks against national and international forces, the head of United Nations peacekeeping told the Security Council in a 5 June videoconference meeting.

The Security Council, in a 4 June videoconference meeting, decided to establish a new political mission in Sudan to assist the country in its transition towards democratic governance, provide support for peace negotiations and bolster efforts to maintain accountable rule of law and security institutions.