S/PV.8490 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. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its 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 18 January to 25 March 2019. During the reporting period, the Committee met in informal consultations on 12 February to discuss the final report of the Panel of Experts on the Sudan’s established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) (see S/2019/34) with the member States of the region. This was the sixth such meeting, which I convened in accordance with paragraph 28 of resolution 2340 (2017), by which the Security Council emphasized the importance of holding regular consultations with Member States concerned, as needed, in order to ensure full implementation of the measures set forth in the resolution. After a brief presentation by the Panel’s Coordinator, the representatives of the Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Eritrea, Uganda and Libya made their statements. All representatives expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to share with the 1591 Committee and the Panel their views on the final report. We discussed with our interlocutors the issues of border security and armed groups in the region. They expressed their commitment to the implementation of the sanctions measures and highlighted the importance of building on the spirit of cooperation through constructive dialogue between the Committee and the invited States. Anticipating the expiration of the Panel’s mandate on 12 March, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs proposed to the Committee five individuals, all incumbent, to serve as experts on the Panel of Experts on the Sudan. On 28 February, the Committee concurred with that selection and we are awaiting the official appointment of the five experts by the Secretary-General. On 13 March, the Committee received the Panel’s fourth progress report. The Panel was closely monitoring the situation, which preceded and followed the declaration of the state of emergency in the Sudan. It reported that, at the time of writing, the protests were still ongoing in some parts of the country and that several opposition parties had joined them. The protests also had an impact on the peace talks, as the non-signatory movements suspended their involvement in further talks. The Panel reported that the overall situation in Darfur had remained more stable than in Khartoum and some other areas of the Sudan. Although the overall regional dynamics were stable, the Panel also underlined some regional risks and threats to the peace process in Darfur. It informed the Committee about the localized frequent clashes between the Sudan Liberation Army/ Abdul Wahid faction and the Government in Jebel Marra, as well as the activities of Darfuri rebel groups based in Libya. With regard to the humanitarian situation, the Panel stated that despite the decrease in conflict, thousands remained in need of humanitarian assistance. The Panel drew the Committee’s attention to the inadequate food rations and medical supplies in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and to the Government’s continued policy of dismantling IDP camps. Finally, I would like to inform the Council of my intention to visit the Sudan. I am currently discussing the dates and the programme for the possible visit with the representatives of the Sudan in New York. Given the current political and security situation in the Sudan, the dates for the visit have yet to be determined.

I thank Ambassador Wronecka for her briefing. I now give the floor to the representative of the Sudan.

I would like to thank you personally, Mr. President, along with your country, for presiding over the Security Council this month. I also thank Ambassador Joanna Wronecka, Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the Sudan, for her briefing to the Council. At the outset, I wish to affirm the commitment of the Government of the Sudan to cooperating with the United Nations organs and institutions that are active in the Sudan. That cooperation with the Panel of Experts and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan — whose report for the previous quarter was just presented — continued throughout the reporting period. My Government welcomes the fact that the Chair of the 1591 Committee wishes to visit the Sudan in the near future. We must come to an agreement on the terms of reference of her visit. That is the main reason why we have not yet set the dates for the visit. It is our hope that the visit will be an opportunity for the Chair to assess the situation on the ground and to gather information first hand so as to enable her and the Committee to reach sound decisions and positions that are founded on documented facts rather than non-credible, second- hand information. In all of our statements and meetings with the members of the Council, we have always maintained that in 2005, when the sanctions resolution on Darfur was adopted — over 13 years ago — the situation at that time was completely different from the current situation. All United Nations reports published by the Secretary-General or the Panel of Experts over the past two years have borne witness to the improvement of the situation in Darfur. That significant improvement led the Council to adopt resolutions 2363 (2017) and 2429 (2018), stipulating the drawdown of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) until its mandate comes to an end in June 2020. That is why we are required to seriously consider without further delay reviewing the provisions of resolution 2429 (2018) so that it can be consistent with the nature of the challenges on the ground. Restoring the control of the State and its institutions over all regions of Darfur is at the forefront of these challenges. That will not take place without a prompt lifting of the arms embargo imposed on Darfur and a review of the sanctions resolution. We expect that to happen very soon. We stress the readiness of the Government of the Sudan to maintain its coordination and cooperation with all regional and international partners in order to address the security challenges, in particular the fight against terrorism, illegal migration, illicit human trafficking and cross-border organized crime, as well as to strengthen regional security and stability. This will help the Sudan continue its contribution to peace and international security while addressing international problems. I recall what Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine, in his capacity as former Chair of the Committee, said in his 7 December 2017 briefing to the Security Council, following a field visit to the Sudan: (spoke in English) “Several Committee members underlined that the overall situation in Darfur had improved in a significant way.” (S/PV.8123, p. 2) (spoke in Arabic) In the quarterly report he submitted to the Council on 27 July 2017, he also said: (spoke in English) “As I mentioned in my visit report, I believe that all United Nations efforts in Darfur, be they peacekeeping or sanctions, should ideally be reviewed in parallel in a complementary manner to reflect the current situation on the ground.” (spoke in Arabic) I would also like to mention that the opinion of the Panel of Experts is consistent with that of the former Chair of the 1591 Committee, and we believe that the current Chair agrees with that opinion. The question is therefore why no practical and tangible measures have yet to be taken to put an end to this factual contradiction, which also goes against regular procedures and established law, since the Security Council’s measures are binding under international law. We would ask the Council to take specific measures to eliminate these contradictions between its own resolutions, stating that the situation in Darfur has indeed been normalized, followed by a reduction in UNAMID troops of approximately 75 per cent, and the fact that the sanctions imposed on Darfur that have not yet been lifted. This is a strange situation and should be rectified. In conclusion, we reaffirm, as usual, the commitment of the Government of the Sudan to cooperating with the Panel of Experts, the 1591 Committee and various United Nations agencies and organs in order to address the situation in Darfur. Furthermore, we affirm — and perhaps Council members will agree with us — that we reject attempts by the Panel of Experts, the Committee or UNAMID to exceed their mandate under the resolutions of the Security Council. When it comes to the Committee, its mandate is limited, clear and unambiguous. In this regard, I note the reference in the report before the Council to the demonstrations that took place in Khartoum. The 1591 Committee has nothing to do with these demonstrations, since its mandate is to watch over the embargo imposed by the Security Council in a well-defined geographical area and in accordance with a well-defined mandate, based on the resolution that established the Committee. Finally, on a personal note, I would like to inform the Council that my term as Permanent Representative of the Sudan and representative of His Excellency the President of the Sudan will come to an end next week. Consequently, it is an honour for me to have addressed the Council, whose priority is the maintenance of peace and international security, on more than 20 occasions. On behalf of my country and for the sake of peace, I hope that I have been able, alongside the members of the Council, to implement part of the purposes of the United Nations Charter and to make the Sudan an example of interaction with the United Nations, while focusing on the importance and centrality of economic and social cooperation as the core of international peace and security.

I congratulate the representative of the Sudan on the successful conclusion of his term as Permanent Representative. On a professional and personal basis, we wish him the very best in his future endeavours.