76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
UN Security Council
Statement by Chair of the 1591 Committee Ambassador Jürgenson
December 10, New York
In accordance with paragraph 3(a) (iv) of resolution 1591 (2005), I have the honor to brief the Security Council on the work of the Sudan Sanctions Committee, covering the period from 15 September 2021 to today.
During this reporting period, the Committee received the Sudan Panel’s second quarterly report. The Panel updated us about the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA), regional dynamics, the status of the armed groups in the region, intercommunal violence, and humanitarian situation. I would like to bring to the attention of the Council the following from the Panel’s report.
The Panel reported that signatory movements took part in power-sharing in Darfur and Khartoum but implementation of the other provisions of the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) have been delayed. Meanwhile, the non-signatory movements, mainly Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid (SLA/AW), have not heeded the calls to join the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA).
The Panel observed that while the national context remained unfavourable to the peace process in Darfur, the regional dynamics remained mainly favourable. For instance, the Chad-Sudan joint force continued to operate along the border between these countries, contributing to stability in Darfur, and national and international actors generally agreed on the withdrawal of foreign forces from Libya, including Darfuri elements.
The security situation in Darfur remains fragile. The initiatives of the Government of Sudan (GoS) regarding the protection of civilians are yet to show positive progress.
Finally, as today is my last briefing to the Council in my capacity as the Chair of the 1591 Committee, I would like to say a few final words on a more personal note. I would like to thank all the Committee Members, who worked tirelessly over the last two years. Together we made small but significant steps towards making the Committee’s work more effective and transparent. For instance, together we managed to update the list of sanctioned individuals, made the quarterly briefings to the Council more substantive and, perhaps most importantly, managed to strengthen our cooperation with Sudanese transitional authorities. I would also like to thank the Secretariat for all the technical support they have provided over the last two years. I will be handing over the lessons learned, and wish the very best of luck to the incoming Chair. I hope that the incoming Chair will be able to visit Sudan soon. I would like to encourage my successor to engage in outreach activities with other subsidiary bodies as appropriate. I am confident that the 1591 Committee remains committed to work together with the Sudan and all relevant stakeholders to make peace in Darfur a reality. Thank you.