Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva at UNSC briefing on the situation in Sudan
Mme.President,
We thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General Volker Perthes for the information about the developments in Sudan. We welcome participation of the new Permanent Representative of Sudan, Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss, in this meeting. We have studied the recent quarterly report on Sudan and the work of United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).
The situation in Sudan remains complicated. At this point, the country is in the vortex of a political crisis, with constant perturbations taking place. The situation is aggravated by humanitarian and socio-economic challenges that emerged once a considerable part of donor assistance was put on hold. We fully support the efforts of the Sudanese government aimed at stabilizing the situation and establishing constructive national dialogue. It is of principal importance that the authorities reiterate commitment to the Juba Peace Agreement of 3 October 2020 and are going to convene general elections in July 2023. We note that this work is already yielding fruit, taking into account the decrease of protests in the capital. At the same time, we are very much concerned by the fact that radical forces, who refuse to have any dialogue with the government even through mediation, retain huge influence in Sudan. We hope that AU-IGAD-UN trilateral coordination mechanism that was established in March with a view to promoting internal Sudanese dialogue, will add to resolving this problem.
We are convinced that the people of Sudan is capable of solving its problems by means of a national dialogue. We do hope that this process will be inclusive and will engage all political forces of the country that enjoy real support of the Sudanese population.
We call on the special political mission and SRSG Perthes to uphold their mandates while paying equal attention to all their components. What needs a particular focus is the tasks of mobilizing international financial and donor assistance that should support the institutions of transitional authorities, economy, and social area, help implement the Juba Peace Agreement and solve the issues of IDPs and refugees. These tasks must not be postponed, because those were delegated to you when the mission was established. We also underscore that assistance to economic development and implementation of the peace agreement must not become an issue of blackmail. This is unfair and inhumane to ordinary Sudanese people across the country.
Mme.President,
Recent spikes of inter-communal clashes in Darfur raise our concern. But we see that the government of Sudan is taking response measures that are congruent with their capabilities and resources. Over the recent months, deputy governors have been appointed in West and South Kordofan. Also, there has been some progress in forming joint forces in the region that should maintain security and the work of the Permanent Ceasefire Committee.
We are convinced that amidst current circumstances, it is important, especially for the United Nations, to keep a balanced approach to developments in Sudan. We must say with regret that reports of the UN Secretariat remain politicized. There is a need to give due account to peculiarities of Sudanese political culture and the irreversible changes in the country’s political landscape that have taken place.
Soon the Security Council will have to adopt a resolution renewing the mandate of UNITAMS. We are strongly opposed to using this document as a tool of political pressure on the Sudanese authorities and imposing rather dubious scenarios and democratic recipes that have been developed in third countries located on other continents. Sudan is a country with a rich political, multiethnic, cultural, and religious legacy. Its people can and most importantly, should find a solution to their problems. UN assistance must proceed from respecting the opinion of the host side, run in the spirit of cooperation and genuine wish to help the people of Sudan in most effective ways.
Thank you.
