7451st Security Council Meeting on the Sudan and South Sudan

Security Council, Adopting Resolution 2223 (2015), Extends Mission in South Sudan, Urges Prompt Implementation of Credible Peace Accord, Condemns Attacks on Camps

7451st Meeting

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 00:01:29
• Production Date: 28 May 2015
• Asset Language: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish
• Corporate Name: INTERGOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY ON DEVELOPMENT - IGAD; UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN – UNMISS
• Subject Topical: CIVILIAN PROTECTION; HUMAN RIGHTS
• Geographic Subject: SOUTH SUDAN; SUDAN
• MAMS Id: 1371853
• Parent Id: 1396956

Description

Strongly condemning continued fighting, human rights abuses and attacks on the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the Security Council this afternoon extended the Mission’s mandate for six months, sharpening its focus on protection of civilians, without changing force structure or numbers of troops and police.

Through the unanimous adoption of resolution 2223 (2015) under the Charter’s Chapter VII, the Council called for the immediate implementation of a Cessation of Hostilities agreement signed last May between the Government of South Sudan and its opposition, which had been widely violated, expressing its intention to take measures against those who undermined peace in the young country, as described in its March resolution 2206 (2015).

Expressing urgent concern over displacement of more than 2 million persons and a deepening humanitarian crisis, the Council decided that the Mission, known as UNMISS should use all necessary means to protect all civilians under the threat of physical violence, including but not limited to those in protection sites and refugee camps, through proactive patrolling, the implementation of a Mission-wide early warning strategy and facilitating inter-community reconciliation.

The Council, strongly condemning extrajudicial killings, targeting of ethnic groups, rape recruitment of children and other abuses in the country, further mandated the Mission to monitor, investigate and report regularly on violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, particularly abuses directed at women and children, coordinating with and supporting the African Union’s Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan.

It decided that the Mission would also continue to contribute to creating conditions necessary for delivery of humanitarian assistance and supporting the Cessation of Hostilities agreement by assisting the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism established by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the main facilitator of the political process.

Requesting UNMISS to continue to refocus and streamline its work to better accomplish the above activities, the Council’s authorized deployment would remain at 12,500 troops and 1,323 police personnel, but the civilian component would continue to be reduced. The Council expressed its intention to keep the configuration of UNMISS under active review and make any necessary adjustments at an appropriate stage of implementation of a credible peace agreement.

It demanded, meanwhile, that the Government of South Sudan and all relevant parties cooperate fully with UNMISS, guaranteeing it and associated organizations safe, free movement throughout the country. It condemned in the strongest terms such events as the August 2014 downing of a United Nations helicopter and repeated attacks on UNMISS camps, and demanded the immediate release of detained and kidnapped United Nations and associated personnel.

The meeting began at 3:01 p.m. and adjourned at 3:04 p.m.