S/PV.6397 Security Council

It was an honour to lead the portion of the trip in Southern Sudan and to co-lead it with Ambassador Lyall Grant in Khartoum. I should like to begin by thank Special Representative Haile Menkerios and his team, who on very short notice were able to welcome the Council and support our visit supremely well. I want to extend the same thanks to the Secretariat, the entire staff of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) and the United Nations security personnel, as well as the Government of Southern Sudan, for working hard to make this mission a success. The purpose of our visit was to underscore that the Security Council is united in its desire to see the Sudan’s referendums on self-determination carried out in accordance with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). We delivered the message that the referendums should be held on time, that they should be credible and that the results must be respected. We sought to assess the status of preparations for the referendums, as well as UNMIS’s performance in providing assistance for CPA implementation. We delivered the message that we expect UNMIS to have full and unhindered access and emphasized the importance of addressing the humanitarian and development challenges facing Southern Sudan, regardless of the outcome of the referendums. When we arrived in Juba on 7 October, crowds lined the street outside the airport to welcome the Security Council as we drove to meet with Southern Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir. During that meeting, President Salva Kiir told the Council that people are “gripped with fever for the referendum”. He said that expectations in the South are very high and that people are focused on the referendums’ date of 9 January 2011. President Kiir also warned that he fears that the North may be preparing for war and may be moving troops southwards. He stated that the South proposes a United Nations-administered buffer zone, spanning 10 miles to the north and south of the border, in which no troops would be present. President Kiir also shared his concerns about unresolved border demarcation, the delay in preparing for the referendum in Abyei and the slow progress in the popular consultations process and in negotiations on post-referendum issues such as oil and wealth-sharing. He assured the Council that if the southern referendum is delayed, the South will not issue a unilateral declaration of independence, but rather will conduct its own referendum in the South and in the diaspora communities abroad. Later that evening of 7 October, we attended a reception hosted by the Government of Southern Sudan, during which we spoke with the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau, which is composed of a Chairman and four members. At the reception, we also met with a cross-section of members of civil society in the South, including the Archbishop of Juba, the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations in Juba, the South Sudan Islamic Council and the South Sudan Youth Forum, as well as women leaders. They spoke about the very tight timetable leading up to the referendums and relayed concern that the Abyei referendum commission has not yet been formed. One person said that the North is “beating the drums of war”. They asked for international pressure and referendum observers on the ground. The next morning the Security Council visited the Rajaf police training centre, where Southern Sudan is training a professional civilian police force. These police, who will help provide security during the referendums, demonstrated procedures for high-risk arrests, VIP protection and crowd control. Impressively, the South started this centre from scratch, which demonstrated its commitment to institution-building. There are now 5,400 new recruits, more than 300 of whom are women, with 6,000 more scheduled to begin basic training in November. Asked by some members of the Council about their motivation for joining the force, many of the recruits said “for freedom and to secure our country”. We had intended that the last leg of our trip in Southern Sudan would be a visit to the town of Wau in Western Bahr al-Ghazal to obtain a perspective on the experience of Southern communities outside of Juba. We had planned to visit a school and a clinic and to meet with civil society. Unfortunately, the United Nations plane taking us there experienced mechanical difficulties just before takeoff. That part was fortunate, given the nature of the problem. We were very grateful, however, to the Russian helicopter contingent at the Juba airport, which hosted us on its base and gave us a good understanding of how it lives and how it operates, while we were reconfiguring our programme. And we are also grateful to UNMIS, which provided an additional extended briefing to us that afternoon. UNMIS reported that the Mission has increased its presence at the state and county levels and is working with local authorities to mitigate risks throughout the referendum process. In conclusion, we found that Southerners are simultaneously very hopeful and very anxious. The message we repeatedly heard is that they are strongly committed to the 9 January date for the referendums and, yet, they are concerned that this expectation may not be met. And there is some fear of a resumption of violent conflict. The international community and the Security Council must remain steadfast in support of full implementation of the CPA, including on-time peaceful referendums and respect by all parties for the results of the referendums.

I thank Ambassador Rice for her briefing. I now give the floor to Ambassador Sir Mark Lyall Grant to brief the Council. Sir Mark Lyall Grant (United Kingdom): I would now like to brief colleagues on the meetings that the Security Council mission held in Darfur. First, I would like to thank Mr. Ibrahim Gambari, Joint Special Representative for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), and the staff of UNAMID and the members of the United Nations country team for welcoming the Council and supporting our visit. I would also like to thank the Secretariat for their excellent support throughout, particularly given the fluid nature of the programme in Darfur. On arrival in El Fasher in Northern Darfur on 7 October, the Security Council mission met with Joint Special Representative Gambari and UNAMID senior staff, who provided a briefing on the current security situation, including the lack of access to Jebel Marra due to clashes between the Government and rebel forces, and on the Mission’s work in protecting civilians and its engagement in support of the African Union-United Nations-led peace process for Darfur. Sadly, that evening we received the news that a member of UNAMID’s civilian staff had been kidnapped by armed men in El Fasher. He has yet to be released. The next morning, following a tour of the UNAMID supercamp, we met members of the United Nations country team and representatives of international non-governmental organizations. At that meeting, those humanitarian representatives expressed serious concerns about ongoing insecurity in Darfur, restrictions on access to populations in need and attacks on peacekeepers and humanitarian workers. We then had a meeting with the Governor of Northern Darfur. He argued that Darfur had seen significant improvements in the security, political and economic situation. He highlighted the commitment of the Government of the Sudan to support development in Darfur and the voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), including through its new Darfur strategy. He called on the international community to put greater pressure on rebel groups to join the Darfur peace process and criticized the indictment by the International Criminal Court of President Al-Bashir. In reply, the Security Council mission expressed its concern about the upsurge in violence in Darfur, the number of civilian casualties and the continued restrictions on humanitarian access. We also reiterated the Security Council’s support for UNAMID and its personnel and underlined the Security Council’s call on the Government of the Sudan and all relevant parties to cooperate fully with UNAMID. We expressed the Security Council’s support for the African Union-United Nations-led peace process and the work of the Joint Chief Mediator, Mr. Djibril Yipènè Bassolé, and urged all rebel groups to join the Doha peace process without preconditions or further delay. Members of the Security Council mission also underlined the need for action on impunity. Later that day, we visited Abu Shouk IDP camp close to El Fasher and separately met a delegation of IDPs from the Abu Shouk and Al Salaam camps. The visit to Abu Shouk, where we were able to walk through the marketplace and talk with individual IDPs for a while, brought home to us the realities of displacement. Many of those whom Council members met had been living in the camps for six or seven years. Our meeting with the IDP delegation, which took place outside the UNAMID community policing centre in Abu Shouk enabled us to get a better understanding of the concerns of IDPs regarding food, medical and educational support available in the camps, as well as of their desire to return home. Several IDPs told the mission that it was the absence of security and the rule of law that prevented them from returning to their homes. Before leaving for Khartoum, we visited a health clinic in El Fasher which provides medical services to women and newborn children, as well as treating victims of sexual and gender-based violence. In conclusion, we returned with deep concerns about the security situation in Darfur, its impact on civilians and the continuing restrictions on access by UNAMID and humanitarian workers. We also returned with a renewed conviction of the need for all parties immediately to cease hostilities and for all rebel groups to join the peace process immediately and without preconditions. That is the only way that progress will be made towards a comprehensive peace agreement in Darfur. With your permission, Mr. President, as co-lead with the United States of the Khartoum leg of the Security Council mission, I will now turn to the meetings the mission held there. I would like to thank the Government of the Sudan for facilitating our visit. In Khartoum, the mission met Vice-President Taha, Foreign Minister Karti, the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, the Governor of Blue Nile, the Deputy Governor of Southern Kordofan, representatives of Southerners in the North and international non-governmental organizations. We were accompanied throughout by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Haile Menkerios, and we are grateful for his leadership and support. In our meetings with Vice-President Taha and Foreign Minister Karti, we heard — as we had from Vice-President Kiir in Juba — a strong commitment to fully implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). In particular, we heard recognition of the need for the referendum to be held on time, to be peaceful and credible, and for outcomes to be fully respected. The Security Council mission welcomed those commitments and reiterated the Council’s determination to support the parties in their full and timely implementation of the CPA, which remained their responsibility. During those meetings, we also heard commitments to tackle the key outstanding CPA issues, including Abyei and the post-referendum arrangements on border demarcation, citizenship and wealth-sharing. Vice-President Taha affirmed that the resolution of such issues was urgent, but not a precondition for the holding of the Southern Sudan referendum. In our meeting with the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, we heard from the Chair, Mr. Khalil Ibrahim, about the challenges that the Commission faces in preparing to hold the referendum on 9 January 2011. Mr. Ibrahim set out the timetable for the various stages of the process, which was clearly very tight, and informed us about the progress in preparing the registration and ballot papers. We heard that the registration process was due to start on 14 November. The Security Council mission underlined the need for a timely and credible process. In our meetings with representatives of Southerners in the North, the Security Council mission heard concerns about the integrity of the referendum process and about security for Southerners in Khartoum and elsewhere the North. During our visit to Khartoum, we also had the opportunity to examine in more detail the popular consultations process. The Governor of Blue Nile and the Deputy Governor of Southern Kordofan told us of their hope that the popular consultations would transform relationships with Khartoum into a true partnership. At that meeting, we heard that it would be important, but challenging, to conclude those processes before the referendum. Before closing, I would like to recall that during our visit to Khartoum, the issue of Darfur was also discussed. In our meetings with Vice-President Taha and Foreign Minister Karti, the Security Council mission heard of the commitment of the Government of the Sudan to pursue peace and development in Darfur. The importance of all rebel groups joining the peace process immediately and without preconditions was also underlined. As it had in El Fasher, the Security Council mission reiterated our concern about the security situation and restrictions on access for UNAMID and humanitarian workers and the need for urgent progress in the AU-United Nations-led peace process, which all rebel groups should join without delay or preconditions. The Security Council mission returned to New York convinced of the urgency of the challenges facing the Sudan. As a result of the meetings we held throughout our visit, we return with a better understanding of those challenges and the political will that will be required to meet them. We heard a strong commitment by both parties to fully implement the CPA, including by holding peaceful, timely and credible referendums and by coming to agreement on post-referendum arrangements. The Security Council mission welcomed those commitments and underlined the importance of translating them into concrete action. The Security Council will continue to follow these issues extremely closely over the coming months.

I thank Ambassador Lyall Grant for his briefing. On behalf of the Council, I should like to express appreciation to all the members of the Security Council and the Secretariat who participated in the mission for the manner in which they discharged their important responsibilities on behalf of the Council. There are no further speakers on my list. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.