S/PV.8684 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 a briefing by Ambassador Joanna Wronecka, Permanent Representative of Poland, in her capacity as Chair of the Security Council 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 4 October to 11 December. In my capacity as Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, I visited Khartoum and Darfur from 11 to 14 November, in accordance with the Committee’s agreed terms of reference. Several Committee members accompanied me during this visit. It was the fourth visit of a Chair of the Committee to the Sudan, the first having taken place in January 2014, the second in May 2017 and the third in April last year. The purpose of the visit was to obtain updated first-hand accounts of the state of the implementation of the measures imposed in resolutions 1591 (2005) and 1945 (2010), as updated in resolution 2035 (2012). The delegation met with Sudanese officials, both in Khartoum and Darfur, United Nations entities, internally displaced persons (IDPs), civil society and youth groups. Let me emphasize that the United Nations sanctions regime continues to be largely confused with other bilateral measures, both past and current, and often cited as a main impediment to the development of Darfur and the delivery of basic services to the population. Such misperception appears repeatedly, in particular in my conversations with civil society, but also with representatives of some Sudanese institutions. During my visit, I made every effort to explain the scope and purpose of the targeted measures imposed in the context of the Sudan by the United Nations, as well as the difference between United Nations sanctions and bilateral measures. Without a doubt, the situation in Darfur has improved since my visit last year and, in the larger context, since the imposition of the sanctions regime. The security situation has largely normalized, with the exception of the presence of rebel groups in limited areas of Jebel Marra. At the same time, the perhaps self-evident linkages among development, livelihood, security, justice and return are exemplified in the current situation in Darfur. Many challenges remain in the area of the humanitarian and human rights situation, and the root causes of the conflict have yet to be addressed, including through the creation of conditions for Darfuri IDPs to return to their homes. In terms of the peace process, some very positive steps have been taken. There is also a clear expectation on the part of Darfuri civil society and IDP representatives that they will be included in the ongoing peace talks. While hope is there, we, as the Committee and the Council, need to do our utmost to help foster such hope and build on it. I therefore encourage the Committee and the Council to explore different options as to how the tool of sanctions might support and acknowledge the achievements made so far by the Sudanese authorities and the people. I also recommended that the Committee continue to cooperate with the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011), concerning Libya and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2206 (2015), concerning South Sudan. Lastly, I recommended that the Committee and the Secretariat engage in outreach activities to explain the sanctions regime.

I thank Ambassador Wronecka for her briefing. We also express our thanks and appreciation for Ambassador Wronecka’s leadership of the 1591 Committee over the past two years and for the hard work exhibited by her team in the fulfilment of its mandate. I now give the floor to the representative of the Sudan.

At the outset, I wish to congratulate you, Madam President, on your assumption of the Presidency of the Security Council for December. I would also like to thank Ms. Joanna Wronecka, Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, for her briefing on the period from 4 October to 11 December. I stress my Government’s commitment to cooperating with all the various United Nations entities and institutions operating in the Sudan, as well as with the Sudan Panel of Experts and the Sanctions Committee. That cooperation has continued over the past 90 days, as we have just heard. My Government is pleased with the results of the November visit to the Sudan by the Chair of the Sanctions Committee and we hope that it has given her and the other members of the Committee a better understanding of the situation on the ground, which will enable them to make sound, evidence-based decisions that are geared towards easing the sanctions that have become irrelevant to the situation in Darfur. In all of our statements and meetings with members of the Security Council, we have tirelessly repeated that the situation that prevailed when resolution 1591 (2005) was adopted more than 14 years ago has changed completely. I would even venture to say that the Sudan of 2005 was a different country from the Sudan we know today. The sanctions were imposed in 2005, yet all reports on the situation in my country testify that the sanctions regime is no longer necessary. My Government has announced a definitive ceasefire throughout the entire country and has embarked on peace negotiations with the various armed groups. It is our hope that the Juba negotiations will start today and pave the way for a comprehensive agreement that will bring an end to all the disputes and conflicts in the Sudan and establish the lasting peace and stability throughout the entire country that our people deserve. In resolution 2455 (2019), which renewed the mandate of the Panel of Experts for a further one-year period to February 2020, the Security Council expressed its intention to review the measures on Darfur and, in paragraph 4, (spoke in English) “Further expresses its intention to establish clear, well identified, and measurable key benchmarks that could serve in guiding the Security Council to review measures on the Government of Sudan as set out in paragraph 1”. (spoke in Arabic) On the basis of that resolution, we hope that the Council will rapidly review the sanctions regime imposed on the Sudan and put an end to it in the near future, so as to enable the Sudanese Government to fully shoulder its responsibility for normalizing the situation in Darfur and contributing to conditions that are conducive to development and reconstruction. As members know, the sanctions regime affects the Government’s capacity to exercise security control over the various regions of Darfur. I am sure that the Council is also aware of the urgent need to enable the Sudanese law enforcement agencies to address the challenges facing the country, especially irregular migration, human trafficking, arms smuggling and cross-border crime that are widespread in Darfur.