S/PV.8366 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on the agenda. At this meeting, the Security Council will hear an informative briefing by Ambassador Joanna Wronecka, Permanent Representative of Poland, in her capacity as Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan. I now give the floor to Ambassador Wronecka.

In accordance with paragraph 3 (a) (iv) of resolution 1591 (2005), I have the honour to brief the Security Council on the work of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan, covering the period from 15 June to 3 October. During that period, the Committee worked on my recommendations following the trip to the Sudan. The Committee also met once in informal consultations to discuss the interim report of the Panel of Experts on the Sudan, and received the second quarterly update from the Panel. On 25 June, the Committee issued a press release (SC/13391) providing a summary of our discussion during the 13 June informal consultations on my visit to the Sudan. In my letters dated 14 August, addressed to the Permanent Representative of the Sudan to the United Nations and the Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur, Head of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur and Joint Chief Mediator, I expressed my appreciation for the cooperation and support I enjoyed during my visit and encouraged the Government of the Sudan to continue to build on the existing cooperation with the Committee and the Panel of Experts. In line with my recommendations, I sent letters to the Chairs of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2206 (2015) concerning South Sudan and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya, suggesting continued cooperation and joint consultations with a view to monitoring the presence and activities of Darfuri rebel groups in Libya and South Sudan, and to develop a common approach on how to best prevent them from engaging in activities that threaten regional peace and security. I also sent a letter to the Coordinator of the Panel of Experts and requested that the Panel prepare and submit for the consideration of the Committee statements of case for the possible listing of individuals and entities that the Panel deems to meet the listing criteria delineated in paragraph 3 of resolution 1591 (2005) and encouraged the Panel’s cooperation and exchange of information, as appropriate, with the Panels of Experts on Libya and the South Sudan with regard to the activities of Darfuri rebel groups in Libya and in South Sudan. During the informal consultations of 17 August, the Coordinator presented the Panel’s interim report. The Panel reported that there had been no major breakthrough in the Darfur peace process. The Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid (SLA/AW) continued to refuse to negotiate with the Government of the Sudan. Regarding Darfuri armed groups, the Panel considered that a split in the SLA/AW military force in Jebel Marra would likely diminish the group’s long-term effectiveness. While the presence of Darfuri armed groups in South Sudan had declined due to diminishing support from the South Sudanese authorities, their presence in Libya continued to grow. The Government of the Sudan continued to transfer weapons to Darfur without obtaining the required approval of the Committee. The Government cited Security Council resolutions stipulating that the primary responsibility for protecting civilians rested with the Sudanese authorities, which required military equipment. The Panel also noted the further investigation of several cases of potential violations of the arms embargo by the rebel groups and their supporters in the region. According to the Panel’s interim report, ongoing clashes between the Government of the Sudan and pro-Government militia groups and members of the SLA/AW in the Jebel Marra area, as well as ongoing intercommunal conflicts, have had a negative impact on the civilian population, including various human rights violations and abuses. Human rights violations and sexual and gender-based violence against returnees took place across Darfur. The Panel was of the view that the Government of the Sudan needed to take immediate and concrete steps to protect the civilian population against continuing attacks and to employ more concrete measures to produce sustainable results, including setting up a local administrative structure, fully functioning police and courts. On 21 September, the Committee received the second quarterly update of the Panel of Experts, which focused largely on ongoing political efforts and peace talks. The Panel also reported that a significant number of internally displaced persons remain in different camps across Darfur, including in areas that have enjoyed relative peace and overall improvement in the security situation. The Panel also informed the Committee that a significant number of displaced communities continued to express grave concerns over the lack of access to economic and social services in an increasingly limited environment for the provision of humanitarian aid and other support, and that threats, harassment and intimidation remain an almost daily occurrence for some. Lastly, during the report period, the Committee received an implementation report from a Member State and the Secretariat informed the Committee about the transfer of Committee files from e-rooms to the e-deleGATE secure portal on 30 August.

I thank Ambassador Wronecka for her briefing.