The United Nations Security Council

By Gary Raynaldo   -DIPLOMATIC   TIMES

Earlier this month, the UN Security Council voted to terminate the mandate of its political mission in war-torn Sudan effective December 3.  The action came after Khartoum authorities requested the immediate withdrawal of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission (UNITAMS) in the country. Khartoum said the mission was not meeting its expectations.

Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said the Organization supports the Sudanese people.  Writing on social media after the vote, DiCarlo stated “the UN is not abandoning the Sudanese people.”   She added that “We urge full support for the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, to bolster efforts to bring the devastating conflict to an end.”   UNITAMS was established by the Security Council in June 2020 as a special political mission, to provide support to Sudan for an initial 12-month period during its political transition to democratic rule.  The 15-member Security Council passed the resolution by 14 votes in favour and one abstention (Russia). Deadly violence continues in Sudan with the conflict resulting in the deaths of over 6,000 civilians since the war between rival militaries started in April. Nearly 7 million people across the country have been displaced.

Switzerland “regrets” termination of UNITAMS

The Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN released a statement after the vote:

“We have taken note of the Sudanese authorities’ decision to terminate UNITAMS’ mandate. This decision comes against the backdrop of persistent fighting with a catastrophic toll on the civilian population. Millions of people are displaced. Millions of people are dependent on humanitarian aid and desperately seeking safety from the violence. We hear warnings of the risks of genocide and other atrocity crimes – crimes that are taking place in a context of almost complete impunity. We simply cannot turn a blind eye. We reiterate our urgent call on the parties to cease hostilities immediately and to respect their obligations under human rights and international humanitarian law, in particular with regard to the protection of civilians.”