Sudan

Recent developments at Old City holy sites in Jerusalem have shown a grave risk that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will escalate into a religious one and drag both sides into a vortex of violence with the entire region, Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the Security Council.

On 3 July 2017, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan held informal consultations to consider the report of the Chair’s visit to Sudan, which took place from 14 to 18 May 2017.

The Security Council today renewed the mandate of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) until 30 June 2018, while deciding to draw down the mission’s troop and police strength in that western region of Sudan over the next year.

At its eighth formal meeting, held on 16 December 2016, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan met with representatives to the United Nations of the Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya and Uganda, with the aim of continuing to strengthen the dialogue between the Committee and the invited delegations.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up emergency operations to help people urgently in need of help in Yemen, which is on the brink of famine.  In Syria, WFP delivered food this week to seven hard-to-reach areas in Raqqa and Deir, where regular aid service had been suspended for over three years due to conflict.

With the level of armed hostilities significantly lower than in previous years, the focus of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) should be readjusted as the mission reduced the number of peacekeepers deployed in that region of western Sudan, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Security Council today.

The pervading toxic culture of impunity must be tackled in order for justice to prevail in Darfur, the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor told the Security Council today as it remained split on how the matter was being handled.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Sacha Sergio Llorentty Solíz (Bolivia):

The Secretary-General’s report “Reinvigorating the AIDS Response to Catalyse Sustainable Development and United Nations Reform” was presented today at the General Assembly.  The Deputy Secretary-General, in presenting the report, said that “the AIDS pandemic is far from over”, and stressed that countries “need to do a better job of reaching young women and adolescent girls”.

Sudan, South Sudan Cautioned that Ending Support for Border Verification Mechanism Will Be Cost of Failure to Uphold Obligations

The Security Council today decided to extend until 15 November 2017 the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) — including its tasks in support of the disputed territory’s Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism — while warning that that support would be withdrawn unless Sudan and South Sudan complied fully with their obligations.