Statement by Chargé d'Affaires of the Russian Federation Dmitry Polyanskiy at the UN Security Council meeting on UNAMID
Mm. President,
We thank Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix and African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security Smaїl Chergui for their substantive briefings.
Two months ago, we voted in favor of Security Council resolution 2479 on “technical” extension of the UNAMID mandate. Russia had understanding for the position of the pan-African organization that advocated for analyzing the developments in Sudan and elaborating of a well-considered concept of responsible drawdown of the hybrid peacekeeping operation.
As you might remember, back then we called to extend the mandate for one or two months only, as we were convinced that this would suffice to let the Sudanese overcome the uneasy time their domestic policy was living through and resume targeted dialogue regarding modalities of UNAMID’s withdrawal. The events that followed proved that we had been right.
We welcome the Constitutional Declaration signed on 17 August in Khartoum between the Transitional Military Council and “Forces for Freedom and Change”. There is no doubt that this agreement is an important step towards sustainable long-term stabilization of the situation in the country.
We would like to specifically commend the mediator efforts of Ethiopia and the African Union (i.a. the Egyptian Presidency) at the talks. This was a practical implementation of the concept “African solutions to African problems”.
We should also acknowledge the role of the Sudanese who proved capable of overcoming disputes and achieving agreement against the backdrop of unstopping external pressure. Unfortunately, a number of external stakeholders still aspire to make use of the uneasy situation in the country and “fit” the political landscape in the country into their specific self-serving interests.
Let me repeat that resolution of the internal crisis in Sudan is the prerogative of the Sudanese. The language of ultimatums and blatant interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign State are absolutely unacceptable. All of this can only escalate the contradictions.
Mm. President,
As for the situation in Darfur, we witness a significant improvement in the area of security. We also notice some normalization in the humanitarian field. General dynamic in the regions from where the Blue Helmets have already withdrawn has not undergone any changes. We believe this proves that the Security Council made the correct decision to draw down the military component of the UNAMID and withdraw the mission in 2020.
We expect that the September report of the UN and the AU will articulate concrete proposals on termination of UNAMID. We would like to emphasize – we are against any attempts to change the withdrawal plan. The challenges that Darfur faces today are of a peacebuilding rather than peacekeeping nature. Time has come to focus on Darfur’s reconstruction and economic development – this is what should be a priority of the global community now.
In conclusion let me express condolences to the government and people of Sudan regarding the death of 62 Sudanese caused by floods and rain showers that started in early July. As reported by the Media, this disaster has inflicted grave damage on the country’s economy and affected over 200 thousand people. Over 37 thousand households have been destroyed. The global community should unite in order to provide assistance to Khartoum in this uneasy situation. Once again, we call to invest all our effort in the economic aspect of assistance to Sudan and pay priority attention to the peacebuilding tasks and development-related challenges.
Thank you.
