Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva at UNSC briefing on the situation in South Sudan
Mme.President,
We thank SRSG Haysom for a substantive briefing. We also closely followed the remarks by the Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Commission for Joint Monitoring and Evaluation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement, Maj. Gen Charles Tai Gituai, and civil society representative Ms. Riya Williams Yuyada.
We studied carefully the recent report of the Secretary-General on the situation in South Sudan and the work of UN peacekeepers in that country.
The Revitalised Peace Agreement (RPA) on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan keeps working, and the ceasefire is generally observed. We note that the process of forming interim authorities in South Sudan has concluded de facto, and the work on a draft permanent constitution has started. We welcome that the leadership of South Sudan is committed to convene elections in 2023. We trust that UNMISS will be able to render the required assistance in organizing the elections should this be requested by the South Sudanese side.
We commend the recent progress of the dialogue with non-signatories of the RPA, first of all the peace agreements between the government on the one side and Gen. Gatwech’s faction “Kitgwang Declaration” (a break-away from “Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition”) and Johnson Olony’s “Agwelek forces” on the other. We appreciate mediator efforts of IGAD and the government of Sudan in the first place. We support Uganda’s initiative to host a meeting of South Sudanese leaders. We also count on continuing mediation of the Sant'Egidio Community.
We note an overall decrease of violence in the country and readiness of a growing number of refugees and IDPs to get back to places of their permanent residence. We are concerned over reports about sporadic local armed conflicts. We condemn any violations of the Revitalised Peace Agreement, acts of violence targeting civilians, including employees of humanitarian organizations that are deployed in South Sudan.
Only prompt and full implementation of the agreements can help the sides enhance mutual trust, and save them from repeating the mistakes of the past.
We believe it is crucial that establishment of joint Armed Forces should be expedited. We call on the non-signatories of the RPA to join the state-building process.
We are convinced that as the situation normalizes, we will need to adapt South Sudan’s effective sanctions regime to the new reality.
Mme.President,
In the coming days the Security Council will vote on renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, which plays a critical role in stabilizing the situation in the country. Russia is committed to working constructively on a relevant document. We believe we need to ensure that a draft resolution gives an adequate account of the real needs of the population. Attempts to add a human rights inclination to this document or step up pressure on Juba regarding other issues, but using elections as a pretext are counterproductive. We call on the Security Council to pay greater attention to assisting South Sudanese authorities with implementation of the RPA and building capacity to address the problem of local conflicts.
Thank you.
