S/PV.9128 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 Council will hear a briefing by His Excellency Mr. Harold Adlai Agyeman, Permanent Representative of Ghana, in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan. I now give the floor to Ambassador Agyeman. Mr. Agyeman: 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 22 June to today. During the reporting period, the Committee received the interim report from the Panel of Experts on the Sudan and held informal consultations on 19 August. During those consultations, the Panel updated us about the gradual implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement, the regional situation and the violence in Darfur. The Committee is currently considering the Panel’s recommendations. On 24 August, the Committee issued a press release (SC/15005) on those informal consultations. I would like to conclude by taking this opportunity to reiterate that the sanctions regime was established for the sole purpose of helping to bring peace to Darfur. It is not to punish the Sudan, but to support the attainment of sustainable peace. The 1591 Committee reiterates its commitment to work together with the Sudan and all relevant stakeholders in order to make that a reality.

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

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you, Madam President, on assuming the presidency of the Security Council during the month of September. We express our appreciation to the People’s Republic of China for presiding over the Council last month. I also thank the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1591 (2005), concerning the Sudan, on the Committee’s quarterly report. The sanctions imposed on the Sudan under resolution 1591 (2005) are no longer consistent with the reality on the ground in Darfur. The situation today has changed since they were first imposed in 2005. Darfur has been able to overcome the state of war and the security and political challenges of the past. The transitional Government has made great efforts to enhance security, peace and stability in Darfur. Chief among those efforts was the achievement of the Juba Peace Agreement in October 2020. The Government is currently committed to implementing the provisions of the Agreement, in cooperation with the partners of the peace process. That will help sustain peace in Darfur. The Sudanese Government is committed to shoulder its national responsibility and duty. We are relying on limited domestic financial resources. The international community has not honoured its pledges towards the peace process in Darfur. Nevertheless, I would like to stress that the Sudan is committed to implementing the agreement and all the provisions as stipulated. The Government is also committed to addressing the remaining social and security challenges, such as intermittent communal clashes. Such acts of violence can occur in any country, regardless of its status or location. They have been known historically and socially in Darfur for decades, and they are being addressed through traditional dispute-settlement mechanisms that support official efforts undertaken by State security and justice bodies. In that regard, I would like to note that, over the past few weeks, several reconciliation meetings have been held among tribes in western and southern Darfur, under the auspices of the Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council, and those meetings have been successful. They strengthen the presence of the State and rule of law institutions, address land disputes and the return of refugees and displaced persons to their villages. We call upon the international community and peace-loving nations that want security and stability in Darfur to support the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement with the necessary financial and technical resources. We would like to thank friendly countries that have supported those efforts. In that context, the first batch of 2,000 members of armed groups that are signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement have completed their training and will now make up the core of the joint force to establish security and protect civilians in Darfur. The full force will be 12,000-strong — 50 per cent of them will be Government forces and the remaining 50 per cent will be former members of armed groups that signed the Agreement. The Government provides equipment and vehicles to the force from its own scarce resources. That is a fundamental step to implement the security arrangements, which have not been sufficiently implemented for lack of international financial support and broken promises by donors in that regard. I would like to clarify that the Government, while implementing the Juba Peace Agreement, facilitates the work of the Permanent Ceasefire Committee, chaired by the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan. Lifting the sanctions imposed under resolution 1591 (2005) and other relevant resolutions will allow the Sudanese Government to rebuild the capacity of its security forces and law enforcement agencies and bring about and promote peace in Darfur and other areas with long borders that enable transnational organized crime groups to engage in trafficking in persons and weapons and assist in the perpetuation of other transnational organized crimes. Imposing sanctions has a direct and negative effect on stability. That is why we continue to believe that an immediate lifting of the sanctions is important. Lastly, it is disappointing that the negotiations among Security Council members on setting criteria and benchmarks for reviewing the sanctions have stalled for the second time. They were supposed to have been concluded by the end of August. Sanctions cannot be in place for more than 17 years without an objective assessment and comprehensive review of benchmarks, which must be realistic, doable and measurable. Maintaining the sanctions as they are would lead to deviations from the stated goals. It also makes us wonder about the unstated goals of the sanctions. Consensus on the request by the Sudan was within reach for the first time since the imposition of the sanctions, but for the sudden move by the penholder. The Sudan is ready to work with Council members that are willing to objectively assess the punitive measures, with a view to setting practical, realistic and doable benchmarks for reviewing the sanctions.