S/2020/1280 Security Council

In accordance with the procedure agreed upon by the members of the Security Council in the light of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic, as set out in the letter dated 27 March 2020 from the President of the Security Council addressed to the members of the Council (S/2020/253), I would like to draw your attention to the following. The members of the Council have discussed a draft resolution, submitted by Germany and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in connection with the agenda item “Reports of the Secretary-General on the Sudan and South Sudan”. That draft resolution, contained in document S/2020/1270 and enclosed herein, has been put into blue. In my capacity as President of the Security Council, I hereby put the above-mentioned draft resolution to a vote. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period for this draft resolution will begin at 4 p.m. on Monday, 21 December 2020. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period will expire at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, 22 December 2020. Please submit your vote (in favour, against or abstain) on the draft resolution, as well as your possible explanation of vote, by sending a letter signed by the Permanent Representative or Chargé d’affaires a.i. within the non-extendable 24-hour voting period set out above to the Officer-in-charge of the Security Council Affairs Division in the United Nations Secretariat (sutterlin@un.org). It is my intention to circulate a letter listing the outcome of the vote within three hours of the conclusion of the 24-hour voting period. I also intend to convene a video-teleconference of the Security Council to announce the outcome of the vote shortly after the conclusion of the voting period, on the afternoon of Tuesday, 22 December 2020.

In 2007, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the first joint African Union and United Nations peacekeeping mission, was deployed in order to protect civilians and humanitarian operations and help bring stability to the war-torn Darfur region of the Sudan. Today, more than 13 years later, the Security Council will close the chapter of peacekeeping in Darfur, as the Sudan continues to make progress in its democratic transition. The draft resolution presented to the Security Council by the penholders, the United Kingdom and Germany, and just adopted as resolution 2559 (2020), lays out the modalities of UNAMID’s drawdown for a period of six months, followed by a subsequent liquidation period. It will provide a legal basis for a safe and orderly withdrawal and help ensure a smooth transition as the Government of the Sudan assumes full responsibility for the protection of civilians in Darfur. The penholders have engaged extensively with the Government of the Sudan before and during the negotiations. We are convinced that resolution 2559 (2020) is fully in line with the requests of the Government of the Sudan, as well as the recommendations of the African Union-United Nations joint special report on terminating UNAMID’s mandate as of 31 December 2020 and subsequently commencing the mission’s drawdown and liquidation. We welcome the Government of the Sudan’s commitment to fully cooperating with the United Nations during this period. However, we regret that the mission will not be able to continue to complete the remainder of its tasks, as is — and should remain — established practice during the drawdown of peacekeeping missions. With the end of UNAMID’s mandate, the Government of the Sudan must be ready to fill the gap left by the departure of the mission. While the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan will assist the authorities, it is not designed to replace UNAMID in terms of providing physical protection. Germany therefore urges the Sudanese Government to expedite its preparations for protecting civilians in line with its own national plan for civilian protection (see S/2020/429). We would like to thank all Council members for their constructive engagement on the text of the draft resolution. We also thank the United Kingdom for its excellent cooperation as fellow penholder on the Sudan file during Germany’s tenure as a non- permanent member of the Security Council over the past two years. Most of all, our gratitude goes to the brave mission staff of UNAMID, who have done their utmost to assist the people of the Sudan in their quest for durable peace.

Indonesia welcomes the adoption of the resolution 2559 (2020) on the withdrawal of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). We commend the penholders, Germany and the United Kingdom, for their efforts aimed at reaching consensus. We also commend the Council’s unity in supporting the Sudan in this transition. Indonesia voted in favour of resolution 2559 (2020), as we are confident that the Sudan is ready to embark on a new chapter in which the country will move towards peace, stability and prosperity. In this regard, we welcome the fact that the Security Council, through resolution 2559 (2020), emphasizes the importance of the Sudan’s national ownership of its transition while fully respecting the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Resolution 2559 (2020) leaves no room for misinterpretation on the logistics of the drawdown or on the Sudan’s leading role in this transition. As one of the largest troop- and police-contributing countries in UNAMID and a current member of the Security Council, Indonesia is honoured to have served in UNAMID along with other United Nations members and the States members of the African Union. We welcome the responsible withdrawal of UNAMID on 31 December 2020, followed by a six-month cleaning-up period. This withdrawal should be conducted while ensuring the safety, security and well-being of all peacekeepers and staff serving in UNAMID. The challenges in the Sudan’s transition call for all parties to ensure that all of the progress made in the country be sustained and further enhanced. We are confident that with support from the international community and countries of the region, the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan will be able to fulfil its role in advising, assisting and supporting the Government of the Sudan, including in the implementation of its national plan for civilian protection (see S/2020/429). Finally, allow me to close my statement by once again congratulating the Sudan as it embarks on a new chapter of its journey. Rest assured that Indonesia remains committed to supporting the Sudan on the road towards everlasting peace and prosperity. S/2020/1280 S/2020/1280

The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of resolution 2559 (2020), which outlines the modalities of an orderly and safe withdrawal of the African Union- United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). With the adoption of this resolution, the Security Council has reaffirmed the importance of the safety and security of peacekeepers and further advanced the transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding in Darfur. However, we regret that it was not possible to adopt a more prudent resolution — one that would have enabled UNAMID to continue to provide support to the Government of the Sudan and the people of Darfur during its drawdown, in line with recent Security Council precedent on the closure of United Nations peacekeeping missions. United Nations peacekeeping missions in Haiti, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste all had mandates until the end of their drawdowns. The position of the Government of the Sudan, the recommendation of the United Nations and the African Union and subsequently the position adopted by some members of the Security Council prevented the Council from following this precedent. UNAMID’s mandate will therefore end on 31 December, despite the fact that approximately 7,000 uniformed personnel and 900 civilian staff remain on the ground in Darfur. All they will be able to do is pack their bags and wait to leave the region. Given the size and location of UNAMID within the Sudan, the mission’s withdrawal will be unlike any recent United Nations peacekeeping closure. This enormous logistical challenge is likely to be further complicated by the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic. Furthermore, there is a troubling precedent of the looting of handed-over UNAMID team sites and assets, which rendered them useless to the local authorities and the people of Darfur. The Government of the Sudan requested the termination of UNAMID’s mandate. It now has a responsibility at both the national and local levels to cooperate fully with the United Nations and the African Union during UNAMID’s drawdown and liquidation. The United Kingdom urges the Government to take all steps necessary to ensure that UNAMID, its personnel and their contingent-owned equipment can depart from Darfur in an orderly and safe manner. We also call upon the Government of the Sudan to ensure the security of handed-over UNAMID team sites that will not be used by the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS) or its integrated country team and, in line with existing agreements, ensure their utilization exclusively for civilian end-user purposes to benefit the people of Darfur. In the light of the termination of UNAMID’s mandate, the responsibility for security — and specifically for protecting civilians in Darfur — now rests solely with the Government of the Sudan. As recent spikes of violence in Darfur highlight, this will not be an easy undertaking. The United Kingdom welcomes the Government of the Sudan’s strong commitment to fully assuming its responsibilities and urges them to swiftly implement their national plan for civilian protection (see S/2020/429). In addition, we urge all parties to uphold all their commitments in the recently agreed Juba peace agreement and ensure its full implementation. Once fully operational, UNITAMS will be able to play an important role in supporting the Sudanese authorities to build their civilian-protection capacities. In this regard, we call on the Government of the Sudan to cooperate fully with the United Nations S/2020/1280 as it seeks to swiftly operationalize UNITAMS and ensure that its transition from UNAMID is sustainable. While resolution 2559 (2020) sets a clear path for the orderly and safe withdrawal of UNAMID and the transition to UNITAMS, we do not believe that it should set a precedent for future peacekeeping withdrawals. The United Kingdom hopes, where possible, the Council — and the United Nations — can return to the former best practice of providing peacekeeping missions with mandates until the completion of their withdrawals as a means to ensuring safe and sustainable transitions from peacekeeping to peacebuilding.

When the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) was established in 2007, it was the largest peacekeeping operation of its kind. It was also the only peacekeeping operation led jointly by the African Union and United Nations. Over 10 years later, today we mark the end of UNAMID as well as the end of an era. The United States recognizes the contributions and leadership of the United Nations and the African Union, as well as of the many troop- and police- contributing countries that helped protect civilians and advance peace in Darfur. We also recognize the 288 UNAMID personnel who have paid the ultimate price in advancing peace and security for the region and the world. We will always honour their sacrifices and those of their families. While UNAMID experienced many challenges, we have no doubt it is leaving behind a safer and more peaceful Darfur. UNAMID’s contributions to strengthening the Sudanese police and providing a voice for Darfuris in peace negotiations will continue to yield benefits over the long term. UNAMID’s State liaison functions, which worked to transfer rule-of-law and peacebuilding activities from the mission to the United Nations country team, now serve as a model for peace and conflict transitions around the world. We look forward to the United Nations Secretariat’s assessment of the lessons learned from UNAMID to further guide United Nations peacekeeping mission transitions moving forward. Despite UNAMID’s achievements, the United States recognizes that the conflict in Darfur is not over. The Juba Agreement for Peace in the Sudan is a key pillar in building a more inclusive governance structure in the Sudan, yet it does not include the Sudanese Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid faction, which continues to hold territory in Darfur. Fighting also continues in the Jebel Marra region, and over 1.8 million people remain displaced across Darfur. Many of these displaced persons live in camps where Sudanese authorities provide little or no security or support services. A generation has been born and raised in these camps, and these people deserve a better future. We strongly urge the Government of the Sudan to cooperate with UNAMID as the mission draws down. Even though UNAMID will cease all operations effective 31 December, the mission needs time and the continued ability to move freely throughout its current operational area in Darfur in order to remove its equipment and personnel from the 18 remaining team sites. UNAMID and the Sudanese authorities must also take the time needed to ensure that UNAMID team sites are handed over responsibly and that proper precautions are in place to avoid the problems with looting seen previously. Once they are handed over, the sites should be used for civilian purposes only, such as universities or training centres. All efforts should be made to ensure the security of these sites and their associated property and equipment. As conflicts continue in Darfur, the Sudanese authorities are now fully responsible for protecting civilians and preventing violent incidents from beginning in the first place. While we welcome the Government of the Sudan’s national plan for civilian protection (see S/2020/429), we strongly urge the Sudanese authorities to step up the Plan’s implementation, particularly with regard to developing community policing initiatives for displaced persons in Darfur. We also call on the Sudanese leaders to be fully transparent about the proposed members of the new joint security force to enable vetting and ensure exclusion S/2020/1280 of individuals responsible for human rights violations or abuses, or violations of international humanitarian law. The Sudanese leaders must also ensure that all such abuses or violations are investigated whether they date back to the early days of the conflict or are more recent, and that those responsible are brought to justice. For true lasting peace, there must be accountability. We look forward to learning how the United Nations Interim Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan — the new special political mission — can and will support the Sudan in protecting civilians and building trust between Darfuris and the new joint force. Since 2007, our Governments and many others contributed significantly to UNAMID. Our combined contributions require continued vigilance and monitoring to ensure that the Sudan upholds its responsibilities as UNAMID draws down, most notably in terms of its responsibility to protect civilians. The United States stands with the people of Darfur and the Sudan at this momentous time. We remain a steadfast partner in support of peace and security in the region.