S/PV.7639 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2016/200, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2271 (2016). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

Russia supported resolution 2271 (2016), which extends for a month and a half the existing Security Council sanctions on South Sudan. On the one hand, the technical nature of the resolution reflects the lack of unity in the Council on maintaining or expanding the current the sanctions regime. On the other, it illustrates the extreme importance and the sensitivity of the present moment in resolving the armed conflict in Southern Sudan. We note that significant progress has been made in that regard, including the overall decrease in the intensity of the fighting, the launch of the mechanisms provided for in last year’s peace agreement, the continuing withdrawal of Government troops from the capital and the appointment of armed opposition leader Riek Machar as first Vice-President. Currently on the agenda is the implementation of the measures agreed by the parties last week, including practical steps to ensure security in the capital. That would open up opportunities for the formation of the transitional Government of national unity. We welcome the efforts of international partners, in particular the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union, to promote the peace process. However, the main responsibility for normalizing the situation lies in the South Sudanese themselves. They now need time and support. Pressure, on the other hand, especially more sanctions pressure, could complicate the resolution of the conflict and harden the positions of the parties. We need to be very sensitive at this stage in resolving the conflict — the Council in particular. First of all, that pertains to introducing new sanctions measures and personal restrictions against the leaders of the opposing sides. We in principle oppose a situation where, instead of serious political and diplomatic efforts, someone tries to use Security Council sanctions. It is no accident that the January communiqué of Peace and Security Council of the African Union is silent on the issue of restrictive measures against South Sudan. We note with satisfaction that reason once again prevailed this time among the members of the Security Council. We hope that members will adhere to the same healthy approach in the work on future draft resolutions on sanctions against South Sudan.

The Security Council and the United Nations remain steadfast in their commitment to support the people of South Sudan in their quest for stability, peace and good governance. Unfortunately, we have a long way to go and much work remains to be done. As such, we must work together to send the right signals to South Sudan’s leaders. The Secretary-General perhaps put it best last week when he told the leaders bluntly, “Put peace above politics. Pursue compromise. Overcome obstacles. Establish the transitional Government of national unity, and do not delay it.” The Council has repeatedly shown its willingness to use targeted sanctions to marginalize spoilers, target those who commit violations and abuses and impose accountability for atrocities. The Council should consider carefully new proposals to use sanctions to better stabilize the situation, limit the unrestricted flow of arms and incentivize the parties towards compromise. Rather than rush that deliberative process, the United States supports the decision of the Security Council today to renew the current sanctions measures until 15 April, and the mandate of the Panel of Experts for just a few more weeks — until 15 May. That period will allow the Council to fully discuss proposals that have been put forward by delegations around this table and allow us time to measure the progress made by the parties on implementing the peace agreement and forming the transitional Government of national unity. We fully agree that this is a delicate moment in the peace process, but it is also a critical moment: humanitarian needs are greater than ever, human rights violations persist and the people of South Sudan continue to suffer. Parties to the conflict need to show progress on the peace agreement signed last year, an agreement which is severely lagging when it comes to implementation, as we heard Ambassador Festus Mogae, Chair of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), testify to last month. We urge South Sudanese parties to take the key steps necessary for the full implementation of the peace agreement. In line with the timeline set out by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, over the next several weeks we expect to see full cooperation by both sides on the implementation of the Juba security arrangements as decided by the JMEC Chair and agreed to by the parties on 24 February, with the return of designated Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/ Army in Opposition security to Juba. That should lead to the return of Riek Machar to Juba and the immediate formation of the transitional Government of national unity. It is also important that the Government of the Republic of South Sudan suspend the implementation of the decree creating 28 states, as called for by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in its communiqué of 30-31 January 2016. We encourage South Sudan’s leaders to show their commitment to peace and to a prosperous future for the people of South Sudan through those concrete actions over the next weeks. We will use that time to support the parties in their efforts to carry out those tasks, to measure their progress and to respond appropriately.