Sudan

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it is stepping up its aid delivery to help a growing number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants crossing by foot across Chile’s northern border with Bolivia.  Local authorities report that 400-500 people from Venezuela have crossed into Chile daily since November.

The Security Council today extended the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) mandate until 15 May 2022, urging the Governments of Sudan and of South Sudan to take all necessary steps to ensure the area is effectively demilitarized.

Amid a fragile backdrop of peace and security in Darfur, regional dynamics are mainly favourable in maintaining stability, the outgoing head of Sudan’s sanctions committee told the Security Council today.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says at least 54 migrants died in a truck crash in Chiapas, Mexico, on 9 December, marking the country’s deadliest single incident for migrants.  Some 651 people have died in 2021 attempting to cross Mexico’s northern border, the highest number since 2014.

Describing Sudan’s political transition as “undergoing its greatest crisis to date” in the wake of a coup d’état, the United Nations top official for that country today cautiously welcomed the recent power-sharing agreement jointly announced by the nation’s military leader and the reinstated Prime Minister.

With reports that the Omicron variant has been detected in Botswana, the United Nations team is increasing its support for the Government’s COVID-19 response, including by providing medical and protective equipment.  To date, 75 per cent of people in the country have received at least one dose, while 68 per cent are fully vaccinated.

United Nations officials in Myanmar report worsening humanitarian conditions due to conflict, political instability and COVID-19 since the military seized control of the Government in February.  More than 230,000 people have been displaced since then, with food running desperately short in some host communities.

A new report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals that Governments and detaining authorities in at least 84 countries have released more than 45,000 children since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Some 261,000 children in conflict with the law are still being held in detention worldwide.

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) until 15 December 2021.