Sudan
Expected Council Action
In September the Council is expected to receive a briefing by the Sudan Sanctions Committee chairman. The Committee will also receive the final report from its Panel of Experts before the panel’s mandate expires on 15 October. No formal Council action is expected in September, but Sudan will certainly be on members’ minds during the high-level events at the General Assembly.
Key Recent Developments
In August tribal violence remained a significant concern throughout Sudan. On 2 August, more than 180 were killed and more than 31 wounded when a group of Murle tribesmen overran a Lou Nuer village in Jonglei state. The same day in northern Darfur, unknown gunmen killed the traditional chief of the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) near the state capital, El Fasher. On 8 August, clashes between two clans of the Dinka tribe in southern Sudan reportedly left at least thirty dead and 15 abducted.
Relations between Chad and Sudan remain tense. According to the Sudanese government, on 16 July, Chadian warplanes dropped bombs in western Darfur, near Um Dukhun. The Chadian rebel Union of Resistance Forces (UFR, or L’Union des Forces de la Résistance) claimed that there were civilian casualties. The Sudanese government reported there had been none but informed the Council of the event in a letter. Subsequently, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Mohamed Abdel Gader, accused France of ordering and supporting the attack.
The AU summit in Sirte, Libya, on 3 July issued a decision that AU members should not cooperate with the International Criminal Court in serving its arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, a week later, after reportedly receiving mixed signals from Uganda, Bashir chose not to attend a regional development summit in Uganda. On 31 July, South African Foreign Ministry Director-General Ayande Ntsaluba reiterated an earlier announcement that Bashir would be arrested if he travelled to South Africa.
On 18 July, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) released sixty Sudanese army prisoners. This had been agreed at Doha peace talks on 28 May. While the issue of JEM prisoners held by the Sudanese government has been a major sticking point in the negotiations, Khartoum on 3 August reiterated its position that it would not release any prisoners without a ceasefire in place. JEM has said that it will not sign a ceasefire without the release of its prisoners of war.
On 22 July the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague delivered its decision on the boundaries of the Abyei region, an oil-rich region disputed by the north and south. The court’s decision gave many key oil fields to the north, but preserved much of the region’s boundary as demarcated in 2005. Should Abyei vote to remain with the south in the 2011 referendum on southern independence, this would give large swaths of fertile land and the Diffra oil field to South Sudan. Representatives from the Khartoum government and the southern-based Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) reiterated that they would abide by the court’s decision.
On 30 July the Council adopted unanimously resolution 1881 renewing the hybrid UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) for an additional year. The resolution asked UNAMID to assist the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to prepare credible national elections and underlined the need for participation of civil society in the political process. The resolution demanded that parties create conditions for voluntary return of refugees and IDPs. It asked the Secretary-General to submit a strategic work plan containing benchmarks to measure progress in UNAMID’s implementation of its mandate and requested him to consult the parties towards developing a more effective ceasefire monitoring mechanism. Following that report, the Council asked the Secretary-General to report every ninety days (to synchronise the cycle with that of UNMIS).
On 19 August in Juba, at a meeting organised by the US government, representatives of Khartoum’s ruling National Congress Party and the southern-based SPLM signed an agreement recommitting both sides to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the 22-year civil war in 2005. Another meeting to address outstanding issues is scheduled for September.
On 20 August, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet briefed the Council on the Secretary-General’s 28 July report on Sudanese elections. Mulet highlighted several areas of concern: the legislative framework related to freedom of the press and the right of assembly; the operational and budgetary aspects; and the non-acceptance of the census results by the south. He also talked about the need of increased assets for UNMIS in order to provide election assistance.
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Developments in the Sanctions Committee |
Key Issues
The Council remains sharply divided on the issue of sanctions in Sudan. As a result, no further action on sanctions, such as additions to the targets list, is expected at this time. Members will be interested in the issue of cooperation by UNAMID with the sanctions panel of experts, an issue (described as a considerable problem during the briefing in June). Of particular interest may be the sharing of information between UNAMID and the Panel.
Overall, there appears to be a growing realisation of the importance of the issue of synchronised policy with respect to Sudan as a whole, as well as operational approach to the two missions in Sudan. With the looming elections, a particular challenge for the Council will be to ensure that the displaced population of Darfur has an opportunity for a meaningful participation and to find a substantive role for UNAMID. A related future issue is how the Council will deal with the situation if the integrity of the electoral process is compromised.
Council members are aware of the issues that have arisen with respect to senior members of UNAMID. A new force commander, Lieutenant General Patrick Nyamvumba of Rwanda, will take over on 1 September from the NigerianMajor General Martin Luther Agwai. AU-UN Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada resigned in late August. More changes at top positions seem likely in the fall.
Options
While no formal action is expected in September, an important option for members is for experts to begin work on the type of benchmarks they would like to see in the upcoming Secretary-General’s report requested in the last resolution. One option would be to indicate the desire for very specific benchmarks. These may include round-the-clock patrolling of camps for the internally displaced, a reduction in incidents of sexual violence, or specific indicators of government cooperation such as timely visa processing for international personnel.
Council Dynamics
On the possibility of additional names for targeted sanctions, Council members continue to be divided. Some favour adding rebel leaders, while others are willing to consider these only if additions include spoilers on the government side as well. Sanctions committees operate by consensus and this will likely mean a continuing standstill on the sanctions list issue.
During the negotiations leading up to the renewal of UNAMID’s mandate, a significant point of contention that resurfaced was the ICC’s indictment of Bashir. Libya in particular argued for including the recent AU position in the resolution. Most members strongly opposed this and eventually a compromise was reached, “welcoming the important role” of the AU but with no reference to the ICC. The resolution was adopted unanimously.
On the elections, most members are reluctant to go forward on giving additional election-related resources for UNMIS until they receive additional information from the Secretariat. Most members also insist on the need for a strict adherence by Sudan to the timeframe for the holding of the elections.
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Selected Security Council Resolutions |
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Selected Presidential Statement |
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Latest Secretary-General’s Reports |
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Selected Security Council Meeting Records |
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Selected Letters |
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Other |
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UNAMID: Joint AU-UN Special Representative for Darfur |
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Henry Anyidoho (Ghana, Acting) |
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Joint AU-UN Chief Mediator |
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Djibril Yipènè Bassolé (Burkina Faso) |
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UNAMID: Force Commander |
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Lieutenant General Patrick Nyamvumba (Rwanda) (as of 1 September) |
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UNAMID: Size, Composition and Cost |
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UNAMID: Duration |
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31 July 2007 to present; mandate expires 31 July 2010 |
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UNMIS: Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission |
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Ashraf Jehangir Qazi (Pakistan) |
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UNMIS: Size, Composition and Cost |
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UNMIS: Duration |
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24 March 2005 to present; mandate expires 30 April 2010 |
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Sanctions Committee Chairman |
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Thomas Mayr-Harting (Austria) |
