S/PV.7159 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of the Sudan to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2014/279, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. I now give the floor to Mr. Ladsous.

I thank you, Sir, for this opportunity to brief the Security Council on the situation in Darfur. Following the publication on 15 April of the periodic report of the Secretary-General (S/2014/279) on the activities of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), I would like to share with the Council the latest developments regarding the peace process in Darfur and the current security and humanitarian situation in the region. I will also take this opportunity to apprise the Council of the measures that the Secretariat has taken, in consultation with the African Union and UNAMID, to implement the recommendations contained in resolution 2148 (2014) for strengthening the Mission and streamline its operations. As Council members are aware, after a period of relative calm Darfur is currently experiencing a resurgence of violence. The current situation is characterized by mass population displacements and notable discord among the local allies of the Sudanese authorities, which is exacerbated by growing political rivalries. Such unrest is particularly strong in North Darfur, where control both of the local governorate and of mineral resources, in particular gold deposits, is at stake. All of this has led to fighting among the supporters of the main actors, leading to often serious casualties among the civilian population. And we should not forget the economic context in the region, which is very problematic and further aggravates the difficulties. A pro-Government militia known as the Rapid Support Forces has been deployed in the region and has contributed to exposing the civilian population to further serious risks, especially in various parts of North and South Darfur. The violence and abuses this militia is said to have been responsible for include the targeting of civilians, ransacking and burning of villages and looting of property and livestock. At the same time, the rebel groups that have not signed the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur have intensified their attacks on Government positions, especially in the area of Jebel Marra in North Darfur and more sporadically in parts of South Darfur. The Sudan Armed Forces have responded by stepping up their operations, using shelling and aerial bombardment. These have resulted in numerous civilian casualties and displaced many people, particularly on 19 and 27 February, when the Sudan Armed Forces, with the support of the Rapid Support Forces, launched an operation near Um Gunya, 50 kilometres south-east of Nyala. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that this operation alone displaced between 30,000 and 40,000 people, who fled and took refuge closer to Nyala, and in the El Salaam, Kalma and Labado camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs). All this violence has clearly worsened the humanitarian situation in Darfur. OCHA estimates that the numbers of those displaced since January now exceed 370,000, of whom two-thirds have still not returned to their homes. Also according to OCHA, the total number of displaced people in Darfur is now more than 2 million, which makes this humanitarian crisis one of the worst in the world. As the Secretary- General’s report emphasizes, while most of the newly displaced people have received at least some form of assistance, the restrictions on movements imposed by the warring parties have prevented humanitarian aid from reaching them quickly enough and in sufficient amounts. This restricted movement has also prevented UNAMID from fulfilling its mandate, in the way we would have wished to see it, to protect the civilians dealing with this growing insecurity. (spoke in English) In this challenging environment, UNAMID has focused on concrete actions and measures that reflect the key priorities of the strategic review outlined in the Secretary-General’s report of 25 February (S/2014/138) and endorsed on 3 April by the Security Council in resolution 2148 (2014). As the Council knows, those three priorities are, first, mediating between the Government of the Sudan and armed movements that have not signed the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, while taking into account the ongoing democratic transformation at the national level; secondly, supporting mediation of community conflict, including through measures to address its root causes taken in conjunction with the country team; and thirdly, protecting civilians, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance and ensuring the safety and security of humanitarian personnel. In regard to those strategic priorities, I welcome the Joint Chief Mediator’s proposal to develop, with the African Union, a common framework for political negotiations within the context of the national dialogue. As announced by President Al-Bashir, that national dialogue has the potential to lay the foundations for a stable and prosperous Sudan if it is inclusive, transparent and open and takes into account the concerns and interests of a broad cross-section of Sudanese society. The Doha Document has an important role to play in that context, since it seeks to address concerns that are specific to Darfur, which include the much- needed economic development envisaged in the Darfur development strategy. In accordance with its mandate and within its capabilities, UNAMID has continued to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence irrespective of its source, in accordance with its mandate under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. Particular attention has been given to protecting highly vulnerable IDPs, especially women and children, in coordination with humanitarian partners, with whom the Mission has worked closely to ensure that the IDPs are provided with protection, shelter and water, as well as other emergency support. Through its programme for inter-communal reconciliation, UNAMID has played a significant role in addressing local conflicts, promoting peaceful coexistence by providing its good offices in local mediation of tribal conflicts, such as the reconciliation signed between Rezeigat and Gimir on 12 March, one example where the Mission’s facilitation of reconciliation has worked in North Darfur. In the light of the political and security environment in Darfur and the challenges UNAMID is dealing with in effectively discharging its mandate, we have taken steps to strengthen and streamline the Mission. A work plan has been developed and its implementation is being regularly monitored, including by the country team. In accordance with the reprioritized strategy recommended by the review, UNAMID’s police component is being reduced by 723 individual officers and four formed police units; the military component will be reduced by 200 military observers, staff officers and liaison officers, following a review of their deployment and tasks. One heavy transport company will be repatriated shortly. My department, together with UNAMID, is developing a plan to put these reductions into effect as soon as possible while of course taking into account the skill sets that will still be needed. The first phase of streamlining the civilian component has begun, based on our priorities and what can be achieved. We have already identified reductions in a number of sections, including HIV/AIDS, gender, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, child protection and the rule of law. But all other civilian sections will be looked at as part of a second phase in the coming weeks, which we will report on in the next Secretary-General’s report. At the same time, with the support of Headquarters, UNAMID and the country team are getting together to work on more effective strategic operational planning, implementing an oversight mechanism designed to make the best possible use of available resources. Essential mechanisms related to integrated operations and reporting are being put in place, and we are tightening overall operational and strategic management. More effective communication is being pursued with the Government of the Sudan in order to improve cooperation on issues of contingent-owned equipment, visas and access. Thus while capabilities that cannot produce an effect on the ground in the current political and security environment are being streamlined, the Mission is beginning to show more progress on the ground by building stronger relations and integrated management. I promise that we will continue to pursue and build on those efforts. (spoke in French) Once again, Darfur is at a crossroads. Since the start of this year, new dynamics have emerged that are having a considerab impact on the population, a situation that we feel should lead us to re-adapt our response. That means in particular that cooperation in various contexts — first between the African Union and the United Nations, then between UNAMID and the Government of the Sudan and finally between UNAMID and the United Nations country team — should be improved in order to better support the Mission’s activities. More than anywhere else, mediation efforts in Darfur should receive all possible political support, and the involvement of the principal stakeholders should be consistent and constant, with the aim of achieving a constructive dialogue whose goal remains a lasting peace. In that regard, the political support of the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, together with the ongoing efforts of the Joint Chief Mediator to convince the parties to engage in direct negotiations and the rebel movements to join the peace process, is more than ever before of paramount importance.

I thank Mr. Ladsous for his briefing. I now give the floor to the representative of the Sudan.

As this is the first time I am addressing the Council since I have been appointed Permanent Representative of the Sudan, I would like at the outset to express my appreciation for the role of the United Nations and the Security Council in support of peace and stability in the Sudan. I want to personally extend my greetings to you, Madam President, in recognition of Nigeria’s role in the maintenance of security and peace in Africa, in particular in the Sudan; to thank Mr. Ladsous, Under- Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, for his briefing; and to assert that I am here to cooperate and coordinate with all members of the Council. Paragraph 30 of the report of the Secretary-General on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (S/2014/279) refers to the all-inclusive national dialogue initative announced by the President, which is based on the specific priorities of peace and security, political reforms and democratization, economic reforms, and national identity. We appreciate the support of the Secretary-General and of the Council, as expressed in resolution 2148 (2014), for that initiatve. At the same time, we call on the international community, in particular the Security Council, to strongly welcome that announcement and to support it in order to send a message of encouragement to the armed movements to lay down their arms and participate in the dialogue without condition, like any other political party, in light of the guarantees provided by the Government. We reaffirm that the success of the inclusive national initiative is the only means of achieving stability and securiy in Darfur. In more than one instance, the report refers to intercommunal conflicts among the different tribes and their humanitarian impact. However, in its observations and conclusion section, in particular in paragraph 74, the report welcomes the Government’s efforts to contain such confrontations and to strike reconciliation agreements among the tribes. We therefore affirm that we are determined to continue to strive to reach a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the root causes of such tribal confrontations, in coordination with the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur and the United Nations country team. In that context, I refer to the important role played by President Deby Itno of Chad in containing the tribal confrontations and in including the anti-peace movements in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur. I would also like to refer to the decisions taken at the second gathering in Um Jaras in Chad, which is part of an effort which included major participation from all the groups of Darfur. In more than one paragraph, the report refers to the Rapid Support Force, describing it as a militia whose members were recruited in Darfur and trained in Khartoum. I would like to point out that the Force is a regular force that is part of the Sudan Armed Forces and subject to its rules and regulations. They have been depoloyed in Darfur to confront the military action of the armed groups against the civilians in Darfur. We value the efforts of the Joint Chief Mediator, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, to make the non-signatory movements join the Doha Document and his meetings with the leaders of the three armed groups, in particular the Minni Minawi, Gibril Ibrahim and Abdul Wahid. Although paragraph 31 of the report refers to the fact that the leaders of those movements have welcomed the idea of a national dialogue as a positive step, it also confirms that they have not yet committed to participating in it. The Security Council therefore needs to support the dialogue in order to dispel the skepticism and doubts of those movements and reassure them that all guarantees will be made to ensure that they are able to fully and freely express themselves. In conclusion, within the framework of the political action and the positive reaction to the President’s iniative, we would like affirm that yesterday in Addis Ababa, negotiations were launched between the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North. As the Council is aware, the armed movements of Darfur and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North are all under the banner of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front. We have previously affirmed that we are providing all guarantees to ensure their participation in the inclusive dialogue so asto provide more space for the achievement of a comprehensive and sustainable political settlement for Darfur and in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.