Sudan and South Sudan - Security Council, 9326th Meeting

Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in the Sudan and the activities of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (S/2023/355)

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 02:15:07
• Production Date: 22 May 2023
• Asset Language: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Original; Russian; Spanish
• Personal Subject: PERTHES, VOLKER
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION IN SUDAN - UNMIS; UNITED NATIONS INTEGRATED TRANSITION ASSISTANCE MISSION IN SUDAN - UNITAMS; UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN – UNMISS
• Subject Topical: CEASEFIRES; HOSTILITY; HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE; PEACE AND SECURITY; SOUTH SUDAN SITUATION
• Geographic Subject: SOUTH SUDAN; SUDAN
• MAMS Id: 3049036
• Parent Id: 3046270

Description

The continuing military hostilities in Sudan that began on 15 April between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces could have dire consequences for both the country, its people and the region, briefers told the Security Council today, as the members of the 15-nation organ voiced support for the recent seven-day truce, which aims to safeguard civilians and provide humanitarian access.

“Let us be clear: nbsp;the responsibility for the fighting rests with those who are waging it daily,” said Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

He painted a bleak picture of thousands who made gruelling journeys in search of safety and the suffering of those who stayed in their homes with depleted supplies and no access to humanitarian assistance.

Bankole Adeoye, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, said that, despite the Union’s mediation efforts, the acute fragmentation among the Sudanese political and military actors and the multiplicity of external interference undermined the transition, which then led to the stalemate resulting in the coup of 25 October 2021. nbsp;

On a positive note, Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), cited the signing of the 20 May ceasefire and humanitarian agreement between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces as progress that “makes us cautiously optimistic that a permanent cessation of hostilities is within reach”.

In the ensuing debate, Council members called on the parties to cease hostilities and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation. To this end, they underlined the importance of the Trilateral Mechanism — consisting of the African Union, IGAD and the United Nations — in ensuring a viable political process and building long-lasting peace.nbsp;

The meeting began at 10:02 a.m. and ended at 12:18 p.m.