Sudan and South Sudan - Security Council, 10161st meeting

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Hello, friend.
How are you doing? I'm good.
Thank you.
Yes.
The 10,161st meeting of the Security Council is called to order.
The provisional agenda of this meeting is reports of the Secretary General on the Sudan and South Sudan.
The agenda is adopted.
In accordance with rule 37 of the councils provisional Rules of Procedure.
I invite the representative of South Sudan to participate in this meeting.
It is so decided.
The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item two of the agenda.
Members of the Council have before them.
Document S2026/432.
The text of a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America.
The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it.
I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.
Well, those in favor of the draft resolution contained in document S2026/432 please raise their hand.
Those against.
Abstentions.
The result of the voting is as follows nine votes in favor, zero votes against six abstentions.
The draft resolution has been adopted as resolution 2821 of 2000 2026.
I now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.
After the vote, I give the floor to the representative of the United States of America.
Thank you.
The United States welcomes the renewal of the South Sudan sanctions regime, including the extension of the Panel of Experts mandate and the renewal of the arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze measures for an additional 12 months.
We also welcome the opportunity to revise the benchmarks to reflect current realities, and look forward to recommendations on how best to do so from the Secretary General, in consultation with the UN Mission in South Sudan and the panel of experts.
We are disheartened, however, by the lack of progress on the benchmarks and the continuing deterioration of the political and security situation in South Sudan.
Let's be clear this lack of progress is due to a lack of political will by President Kiir, as well as other South Sudanese leaders.
South Sudan's leaders must return to direct dialogue to de-escalate the current violence.
It is farcical to suggest that such dialogue is occurring when one of the signatories to the 2018 peace agreement is under house arrest and on trial, the council cannot accept obstruction of the peace process or actions that threaten transitional agreements or undermine the political process in South Sudan.
We therefore, urge the transitional government to deliver all steps necessary to restore peace, including declaring a national cease fire releasing detainees, renouncing the use of violence for political purposes, and starting to use public revenue appropriately to support the citizens of South Sudan.
For years prior to South Sudan's independence, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement claimed to seek the end of marginalization of the southern Sudanese by leaders in Khartoum through bad governance and misuse of revenue.
That marginalization continues imposed by South Sudan's own leaders.
Thank you.
I thank the representative of the United States for the statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of the DRC.
Mr..
The president.
Mr.
president, I have the honor to explain this vote on behalf of the A three Liberia, Somalia and my own country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The.
A three have abstained, abstained during the vote on the resolution renewing the sanctions regime against South Sudan.
Our position reflects concerns of principle long standing regarding the effectiveness of the sanctions regime and the restrictive measures as the main tool to deal with the situation in South Sudan, to which we have frequent recourse.
Although the sanctions regime has been in place now for several years, the political and security situation of the country continues to face great challenges.
And this calls into question to what extent the current measures effectively contribute to lasting peace stabilization of national institutions in South Sudan.
The A3 remained concerned by the broader implications of the sanctions regime.
In the context of South Sudan.
We reaffirm, therefore, the need to re-examine in a timely manner the current measures, including the arms embargo, in order to ensure that the sanctions regime is supporting, rather than breaking the efforts being carried out at national level for peace building, reconciliation and institutional development, and the implementation of the revitalized agreement.
We are particularly aware of the challenges posed by the arms embargo in the context of the implementation of the transitional security arrangements and the unification of the deployment of unified forces.
That is necessary and fundamental to ensure the advancement of the peace process and to strengthen the country's ability to face these security challenges.
Mr.
president, the position of the African Union on South Sudan has always called for the progressive lifting of the sanctions regime, including the arms embargo, in order to support the implementation of the revitalized agreement and to strengthen the capacity of national institutions to more effectively address the security challenges that the country faces.
The A3 in this regard feels that the Council should progressively move towards a more favorable position that would strengthen the implementation measures and the political commitment, rather than to continue to base itself on restrictive measures that have been in place now for a number of years without producing the desired results.
We remain determined to continue to cooperate constructively with all members of the council and regional stakeholders in order to support lasting peace, stability and lasting political progress in South Sudan.
Thank you.
I thank the representative of the DRC for the statement.
I give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation.
Mr.
President, because, as we hoped, this is the last open meeting of the Security Council this month under your presidency.
I would like to thank the Chinese delegation for their professional work and their successful presidency of the Council in May.
I would also like to wish Colombia the best next month.
Mr.
president, the Russian Federation abstained in voting on the United States draft resolution on extending the sanctions regime against the Republic of the Republic of South Sudan for one year.
We note that in this year, the sponsors chose to limit themselves to a text that essentially implies a technical rollover of the restriction.
They did not follow the lead of certain delegations, who proposed imbuing the text with new language.
In an unjustified attempt to strengthen pressure on South Sudan.
At the same time, Russia was unable to support the draft as it was replete with criticism against the government of South Sudan.
The document continues to be overloaded with assessments of the political situation, where particularly opposed to the direct link established between the arms embargo and internal processes in the country through the prism of political violence, as well as a refusal to use the proper name of the legitimate government in Juba, we are convinced that the people of South Sudan are capable of independently finding solutions to their current internal instability and define the path forward with regard to implementing the renewed, revitalized peace agreement.
At the current stage which is crucial for the country and involves elections planned for December, the issue of stabilization and ensuring public order is particularly important.
To do this, the government and its security forces must have the full set of tools they require, including technical capabilities as well as the necessary well-trained staff.
For now, there is still some ways to go until the formation of a unified army and the government armed forces and the national police must perform that function.
However, the Security Council sanctions currently in effect against South Sudan, are a major obstacle in this regard because of these sanctions.
Juba is unable to purchase even such basic supplies as military uniforms.
We must also not forget that sanctions hamper the country's economic development and dissuade foreign investors from engaging with South Sudan.
The targeted exemptions contained in the resolution are insufficient, in our view.
Of course, now is yet not the time to talk about an immediate lifting of the Security Council 2206 regime.
However, more.
It is high time for a more significant easing of restrictions.
Russia continues to advocate for easing restrictions against South Sudan as it has always done.
This is fully in line with the general African policy of gradually dismantling Security Council sanctions on the continent, which is something that our Western partners cynically ignore from year to year.
Indeed, these sanctions hamper the successful unfolding of the political process in South Sudan, as well as the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.
We call for further engagement with Juba to be based on respect for its interests, as well as consideration for its national, historical, ethnic and cultural specificities.
Thank you very much.
I thank the representative of Russian Federation for the statement.
I give the floor to the representative of Pakistan.
Thank you very much, Mr.
President.
The text of the resolution on the sanctions regime in South Sudan is a technical rollover from last year.
Pakistan had abstained on the resolution last year.
Our abstention today is consistent with that position.
Pakistan remains committed to lasting peace and stability in South Sudan.
We continue to support the revitalized agreement as the only viable and consensual framework for peace.
We believe that sanctions are an important tool at the disposal of the Security Council, but they should be used judiciously, reviewed periodically, and should not become open ended or punitive in nature.
Their purpose should be to support political solutions and stabilization efforts.
We also note the African Union's position against continued sanctions on South Sudan.
The deteriorating political and security situation on the ground raises important questions regarding the effectiveness of the current sanctions regime.
Despite years of restrictions, instability persists and implementation of key transitional arrangements remain incomplete.
Lasting peace in South Sudan will be advanced through sustained political engagement, implementation of the revitalized agreement and supporting regional efforts led by the African Union and Egad! We will continue to engage constructively with all partners in support of durable peace and stability in South Sudan.
Lastly, Mr.
President, allow me to conclude by congratulating you on a very successful and smooth conduct of the presidency by China this month, and wishing all the very best to our Colombian colleagues as they take up this role starting on Monday.
Wishing everyone a very happy and uneventful weekend.
Thank you.
I thank the representative of Pakistan for the statement.
I now give the floor to the representative of Bahrain.
Shukran.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
As we conclude our work in the Council this month, we would like to express our deepest thanks to the Republic of China on presiding over the Security Council.
We appreciate all the efforts you made in conducting our work this month.
We wish.
Colombia, the friendly delegation of Colombia.
All success while they preside over the Council next month.
I also would like to welcome the representative of the Republic of South Sudan to our meeting today.
We express our thanks to the United States of America, the pen holder, for listening to different points of view during the negotiations leading to the adoption of our resolution today.
The Kingdom of Bahrain voted for the draft resolution in hope that IT.
Adoption could contribute to the implementation of the revitalized Peace Agreement of 2018 to promote a conducive environment to continue the transitional arrangements, including security arrangements and building state institutions in South Sudan.
We stress the need for these arrangements to remain a tool that supports the political process, to encourage relevant parties to meet their commitments, instead of being a stumbling block for peace and stability.
We reaffirm the need to continue constructive dialogue among all local parties and regional and international partners to bridge the gap and to promote consensus, to support security and stability in South Sudan and to maintain its unity, territorial integrity, independence and national institutions, and to meet the aspirations of its people towards development and peace.
Thank you.
I thank the representative of Bahrain for the statement.
I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of China.
Colleagues, the draft resolution on the extension of the sanctions mandate on South Sudan, which we just voted on, is overall a technical extension.
However, the original sanctions resolution exerts excessive pressure on South Sudan, and the current text contains several unbalanced statements.
China has consistently held reservations regarding these elements and therefore abstained from the vote.
The council's arms embargo against South Sudan has been in place for nearly eight years, constraining the government's capacity to strengthen the protection of civilians and maintain domestic stability.
The lifting of the arms embargo has been a consistent demand of South Sudan and regional countries.
China calls on the council to take seriously the strong appeals and legitimate concerns of Africa, and to make timely adjustments to the sanctions in question, or lift them when conditions are ripe, so as to avoid using sanctions as a political tool for exerting pressure or interfering in the internal affairs of the country.
China maintains that sanctions are means, not an end.
The council should actively assist the country concerned in its efforts towards the ultimate lifting of sanctions.
China notes the draft resolution requests the Secretary-General to submit recommendations on revising the key benchmarks for lifting sanctions.
The Council should.
In light of the recommendations and the current situation in South Sudan, refine and update the relevant benchmarks to make them more practical and feasible, thereby thereby enabling the country to step up implementation to meet the benchmarks at an early date Colleagues.
South Sudanese government has repeatedly indicated its intention to hold general elections at the end of the year to realise the long held aspirations of its people.
China supports the ordinary preparations for the elections in South Sudan.
We support U.N.
oh egad, and other partners in carrying out their good offices with greater synergy and pushing the parties to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation based on respect for South Sudan's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity so as to jointly implement the revitalized agreement, advance the political transition and achieve peace, stability and development and revitalization at an early date.
I now resume my function as president of the council.
I now give the floor to the representative of South Sudan.
Mr..
Mr.
president, I thank you and I congratulate you also for ending this tenure with us as it started.
Uh, my delegation wishes to express its appreciation despite the obvious and obvious, uh, lack of consultation.
We still wish to appreciate our, uh, appreciation to the pen holder for its effort throughout the negotiation, and for the time and engagement invested in facilitating discussions among council members.
We also thank the all delegations that that participated constructively in the process and remain committed to dialogue and consensus building.
While we acknowledge that my delegation regrets to the adoption of the resolution, renewing the sanctions regime and arms embargo on the Republic of South Sudan, it is our view that the continued maintenance of the arms embargo is increasingly inconsistent with the realities and challenges facing the country today.
Rather than supporting and strengthening the state institutions, it limits the legitimate capacity of the government to protect its civilians, secure its borders and respond effectively to threats posed by armed groups and other non-state actors.
As we meet today, families across South Sudan are mourning the tragic loss of five civil engineers who were killed while undertaking road construction work in Mobile County, Central Equatoria state.
These individuals were contributing to national development, connectivity and economic recovery.
Their deaths serve as a sobering reminder of the security challenges that remains, and the importance of ensuring that national institutions are adequately equipped to protect civilians and support development efforts Mr.
president, South Sudan firmly believes that sustainable peace is best advanced through strong national institutions, effective security arrangements and genuine national ownership of the peace process.
Measures that inadvertently weaken the state capacity while failing to deter the spoilers warrant.
Careful reconsiderations in this regard.
We respectfully reiterate our call for the Security Council to give due consideration to the consistent position of the African Union and other regional stakeholders which have repeatedly advocated for the lifting of the sanction regime and arms embargo on South Sudan.
The perspective of those closest to the situation on the ground remain valuable in informing the council's deliberation.
Mr.
president, South Sudan remains fully committed to constructive cooperation with the United Nations, the African Union and all international partners in advancing peace, reconciliation institution building and sustainable development.
We remain encouraged by the continued support of the international community and confidence that, working together, we can overcome the remaining challenges and create conditions necessary for a peaceful, stable and prosperous future for all South Sudanese.
In closing, my delegation extends its sincere appreciation to those members of the Security Council who continue to support balanced, constructive and forward looking approach towards South Sudan.
We value their partnership and remain committed to working collaboratively with all members of this Council in pursuit of our shared objective of a peaceful, secure and stable South Sudan.
I thank you for your present.
I thank the representative of South Sudan for the statement.
There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers.
This is the final open meeting of the council for this month.
As the president for May.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all Council members for their valuable support and constructive participation in the work of this month.
I also wish to thank the Secretariat for its crucial support to the Council's work this month, demonstrating a high degree of professionalism and dedication.
Finally, I wish Colombia success in its role as the president of the Council for June and look forward to continuing our close cooperation with all parties.
The meeting is adjourned.