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United Nations Integrated Transitional Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) - Security Council VTC Briefing
Despite progress Sudan has made towards peaceful transition, delays in establishing key representative bodies, continued intercommunal conflict and unanswered violence against women and girls threaten the country’s stability and civilian population during its transition process, the Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS) told the Security Council during a videoconference meeting today.
Volker Perthes, Special Representative to the Secretary-General for Sudan and Head of UNITAMS, presented the Secretary-General’s latest report on the situation in the country and the Mission’s activities (document S/2021/470) and detailed his recent return from an international conference on Sudan in Paris. He said that this event “clearly demonstrated continued international support for Sudan’s return to the international community” and a vision for a new Sudan replete with freedom, justice and economic opportunity. Recalling his recent meeting with Abdelaziz al-Hilu — Chairperson of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army — the Government of Sudan and the South Sudanese mediation team to discuss preparations for the upcoming peace talks, he said that UNITAMS will act as a facilitator thereof and will work to ensure the meaningful participation of women in that process. He added that the Government’s continued efforts to advance the political transition have taken important steps, such as the adoption of legislation establishing the Peace Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Transitional Justice Commission.
“There are also delays,” he said, most important of which is that the formation of an inclusive, representative Transitional Legislative Council comprised of at least 40 per cent women has yet to be realized. Two killings during the recent commemoration of the violent suppression of anti-regime protests in 2019 underscore growing frustration with unfulfilled expectations for political transition and the quest for justice and accountability. Further, critical aspects of the Juba Peace Agreement also remain unimplemented, notably security arrangements and the establishment of ceasefire and security committees. He stressed that delays in establishing a joint protection force, along with the absence of integrated, united security forces, directly affect stability and the protection of civilians in Sudan.
Turning to recent intercommunal clashes in Darfur that left 144 dead, 232 injured and an estimated 65,000 newly displaced, he said the Government response was to implement eight critical measures to enhance security, including the establishment and deployment of joint security forces, operationalizing transitional security arrangements and related ceasefire committees, weapons management and humanitarian relief. While armed movements have named representatives to the ceasefire committees and identified personnel for joint security forces, deployments have yet to commence. He said that, without the rapid establishment of such forces and the implementation of Sudan’s National Plan for Civilian Protection, incidents similar to the recent violence in El Geneina may occur.
He stated that, for its part, UNITAMS is ready to assist with Government implementation of security-sector reforms, and the Mission’s support for the National Plan for Civilian Protection focuses on prevention, physical protection and creating an enabling protective environment, including strengthening the judiciary. UNITAMS has deployed three teams to Darfur to support the Sudanese police in community policing, investigation and addressing gender-based violence. On the latter point, he expressed concern over continued reports of human rights violations against women and girls — including social media campaigns instigating violence — and agreed with women’s rights activists that such crimes should be as unacceptable now as they were during the revolution. He said that UNITAMS will continue to support women’s rights groups and the Government to create an enabling environment for females to live free of fear and to exercise their full rights.
Noting the progress made by the United Nations in developing benchmarks and indicators for UNITAMS, he said the same will measure the Mission’s progress against the strategic priorities that define its mandate. Thanking the Government for its work to complete discussion of the mission agreement — now ready to be signed — he detailed his plans for continued outreach with diverse stakeholders across Sudan to address scepticism encountered along the political and societal spectrum and to build confidence that “UNITAMS works for all of Sudan”.
Following the briefing, many Council members echoed the Special Representative’s appraisal of a situation in Sudan characterized by both progress and delay. While welcoming the Transitional Government’s economic reforms and security commitments, many condemned recent violence against protestors in Khartoum and intercommunal clashes in Darfur. Stressing the need for accountability — particularly for crimes against women and girls — members also called for the rapid establishment of pending transitional bodies, particularly the Transitional Legislative Council. Others called for more international support for Sudan during its transition process, suggesting increased debt relief and welcoming the evaluative value of establishing benchmarks for the Mission’s work.
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