Sudan asks UN to 'immediately terminate' the UN political mission in the country (UNITAMS) -letter

Report from Reuters
Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Rami Ayyub; 
Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis
Dated Thursday, 16 November 2023 11:58 PM GMT - here is a copy in full:

Sudan asks UN to 'immediately terminate' political mission -letter

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Sudan asked the United Nations on Thursday to "immediately terminate" the U.N. political mission in the country (UNITAMS), Sudan's acting Foreign Minister Ali Sadeq, told the U.N. Security Council in a letter seen by Reuters.

"(The) government of Sudan requested that the United Nations immediately terminate the UNITAMS mission. At the same time, we would like to assure you that the Government of Sudan is committed to engaging constructively with the Security Council and the Secretariat," Sadeq wrote in a letter addressed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and circulated to the U.N. Security Council.

"The purpose of establishing the mission (was) to assist the transitional government of Sudan after the December 2018 revolution," he wrote, adding that the mission's performance in implementing its objectives "was disappointing."

When asked about Sudan’s decision, Guterres spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the letter had been received and circulated to the Security Council.

A war erupted on April 15 between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces after weeks of rising tension between the two sides over a plan to integrate forces as part of a transition from military rule to civilian democracy.

The U.N. special envoy to Sudan announced in September that he was stepping down, more than three months after Sudan declared him unwelcome after disagreements between rival factions erupted into war.

View original: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudan-asks-un-immediately-terminate-political-mission-letter-2023-11-16/

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URGENT: South Sudanese humanitarians seek funding to transport people fleeing Sudan fighting: UN

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: I have combined this news report with three posts from Emmanuel Jal's Facebook page where he highlights an urgent need to transport South Sudanese returnees home safely. Most are stranded in places around the border where they can't afford to travel any further. Many have family they can stay with. Others will need shelter. 

The news report says the UN urgently needs $26.4m to transport South Sudanese returnees by river, road or air. Emmanuel's posts last May, June, July show people helping some returnees to get home safely by bus or boat. 

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Report at China View - english.news.cn/

Source: Xinhua; Editor: huaxia

Dated Thursday 27 July 2023, 03:53:15 - here is a full copy:

South Sudanese humanitarians seek funding to transport people fleeing Sudan fighting: UN

UNITED NATIONS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The humanitarian community in South Sudan is seeking urgent funding to transport people fleeing fighting in Sudan, mostly South Sudanese returnees, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.

"Many of those fleeing are vulnerable with no financial resources to continue their journey inside the country," said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The spokesman said that humanitarians have been helping people reach their final destinations by river, road or air but are running out of funds. Without new funding, humanitarian agencies will be forced to halt transportation in two weeks' time.

"With no onward transportation available, more people will become stranded in and around the border towns where humanitarian services are already overstretched," Dujarric said.

"We need 26.4 million U.S. dollars to continue providing this service until the end of the year," he added. 

View the original report here: 

http://www.chinaview.cn/africa/20230727/57b208f1f44440c0bd9bb73dc964c074/c.html

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From Emmanuel Jal Facebook page

Posted 26 May 2023 - here is a full copy:

Shared with Public

Thank you @angelicafuentes63 for hiring a bus to take 43 individuals to safety from Kosti in Sudan to Unity state Bentiu in South Sudan. If you want to be part of this cause you can check out our partner @chooselove who is currently hiring too buses with partnership with @guaafrica 

WATCH video of Emmanuel:

Thank you @angelicafuentes63 for hiring a bus to take 43 individuals to safety from Kosti in Sudan to Unity state Bentiu in South Sudan. If you…

View the original post with video here: 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=261580383056246

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From Emmanuel Jal Facebook page

Emmanuel Jal is in Sudan

Posted 27 June 2023 - here is a full copy:

Shared with Public

We continue to send buses from Sudan to safety in South Sudan through my charity @guaafrica and our partnership with @chooselove

Thanks to all those who have stood with us and raised funds. 

The roads are very dangerous and we are prioritising the safety of women and children and those with no funds so they can escape the horrors still playing out In Khartoum. It’s upsetting to see how the main stream media has forgotten so quickly about the situation there but we continue to put a spotlight and help those who need it. 

#wewantpeace #sudan #khartoum #southsudan #mylifeisart

View the original post here:

https://www.facebook.com/EmmanuelJal/posts/pfbid02L8Z54sjcsqLsRmB8oLbM6XkzPAqsxnkWmej8urmFPu8MtDKjVWuiFJ76V6Xd8FULl

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From Emmanuel Jal Facebook page

Posted 14 July 2023 at 10:07 - here is a full copy:

Shared with Public

@maryannthompsonfrenk thank you for playing a part in getting two buses secured to people to safety this week from Sudan to South Sudanese We are grateful to angels that you rallied to make it possible here are there names.

Shout out to 

Felix Meneses

Chase Robertson

Alan Keith

Joshua Raymond Frenk

The Memnosyne Institute

Marcus X Russell

Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk

John Philp Thompson

These photos here are from our previous buses hired by @guaafrica with partnership with @chooselove

This week we will have people travel by boats and buses.

View the original post here:

https://www.facebook.com/EmmanuelJal/posts/pfbid02XJc8dWLFpeVgHvEY2pdzPKevcYAgs4F9irEhXq7Nva9vSoRjHN3guiVc3Rv62ArMl

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VIDEO & TRANSCRIPT: Declaration of Commitment made to allow humanitarian access to Sudan

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: I made this transcript of the video below.



Transcript of a video posted at YouTube 13 May 2023:

Declaration of Commitment made to allow humanitarian access to Sudan

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
Caption: JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia
In the absence of a ceasefire the United Nations has been pressing parties to agree to a set of humanitarian principles that would allow for sid to flow to the millions living on the edge even before the latest fighting erupted.

VOICE Stéphane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson:
The Secretary-General welcomes the signing by the parties to the conflict in Sudan of the Declaration of Commitment to protect civilians and guarantee the safe passage of humanitarian aid in the country while humanitarian workers most notably are local Sudanese partners have continued to deliver in very very difficult circumstances. The Secretary General hopes that this declaration will ensure that the relief operations can scale up swiftly and safely to meet the needs of millions of people in Sudan. He reiterates his call for an immediate ceasefire and expanded discussions to achieve the permanent cessation of hostilities. The U.N will spare no efforts to assist in the declaration's implementation and will continue to deliver humanitarian aid, ceasefire or not.

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
DECLARATION OF COMMITMENT
- respect for international law
- refrain from civilian harm
- allow for unimpeded humanitarian passage
- observing regular humanitarian pauses

The detailed Declaration of Commitment includes pledges from both sides to respect International humanitarian and human rights law including distinguishing between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military targets to allow and facilitate an impeded passage of humanitarian relief and personnel and observing the implementation of regular humanitarian pauses as needed among other parameters Hoping to arrest violations by both military factions.

VOICE Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
I strongly condemn this wonton violence in which both sides have trampled International humanitarian law notably the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution. The Sudanese military has launched attacks intensely occupied civilian areas including airstrikes.

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
Last week one airstrike reportedly hit the vicinity of a hospital in the East Nile area of Khartoum killing several civilians. The RSF meanwhile has allegedly taken over numerous buildings in Khartoum to use as operational bases, evicting residents and launching attacks from densely inhabited urban areas.
More than 730,000 people have been internally displaced since the fighting between Sudan's armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces began almost a month ago while the UN has warned that in the absence of a truce more than 800,000 could flee the country.

VOICE Volker Perthes, UN Secretary-General Special Representative: Sudan:
This is the first time that we have a mutual, a mutual declaration on something which is not a ceasefire but a mutual signed declaration of the two warring parties on respecting International humanitarian law and international human rights law and some more concrete provisions like vacating hospitals and medical facilities which is good. And of course the aim is to have a ceasefire which is also mutually agreed which I hope would give more stability and more respect to a ceasefire than when it is only based on unilateral declarations.

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
The United States which is co-hosting the talks in Saudi Arabia says they will now focus on reaching an agreement on an effective ceasefire of up to approximately 10 days to facilitate the humanitarian agreement. Referring to a step-by-step approach agreed by the parties, subsequent discussions will be focused on a permanent cessation of hostilities that has today been out of reach for the belligerents. The UN has been clear that any notion of a military victory for either side would be a miscalculation. -Sherwin Bryce-Pease, SABC News, New York.

View original at YouTube: https://youtu.be/fEkg9BsfzX0

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The Financing of AU Peace Support Operations: Prospects for Progress in the Security Council?

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: A UN research report 26 April 2023 copied below for future reference caught my eye because of this paragraph:

"Following a debate on peace and security in Africa during the Chinese presidency in August 2022, the Council adopted a presidential statement. Among other things, the presidential statement requested the Secretary-General to provide the Security Council, by 30 April 2023, a report on progress made by the UN and the AU to fulfill the commitments set out in resolution 2320 of 18 November 2016 on cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organisations, and resolution 2378 of 20 September 2017 on peacekeeping reform."

So I searched for UNSG report 30 April 2023 and found a page here listing latest statements. What a coincidence and a disappointing one too: instead of it providing news of progress made regarding the African Union (AU) and the financing of AU Peace Support Operations, it says:

United Nations Secretary-General

30 April 2023 New York

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General - on Sudan    

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General

In light of the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Sudan, the Secretary-General is sending the Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, to the region immediately.  

The scale and speed of what is unfolding is unprecedented in Sudan. We are extremely concerned by the immediate as well as long-term impact on all people in Sudan, and the broader region.  

We once again urge all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, allow safe passage for civilians fleeing areas of hostilities, respect humanitarian workers and assets, facilitate relief operations, and respect medical personnel, transport and facilities.

View original: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2023-04-30/statement-attributable-the-spokesperson-for-the-secretary-general-sudan%C2%A0-%C2%A0%C2%A0

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Research Report from Security Council Report.org

Dated 26 April 2023 - full copy:

The Financing of AU Peace Support Operations: Prospects for Progress in the Security Council?

To read the full report, please download the PDF here.

The financing of AU-led peace support operations (AUPSOs) has been an issue in the relationship between the UN and the AU in general, and between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) in particular, since 2007. In this time, the Security Council’s discussion of this issue has evolved, with Council members increasingly recognising the AU’s proactive role on matters of peace and security in Africa, including its enhanced capacity to respond expeditiously to conflict and crises on the continent, particularly through the deployment of AU Peace Support Operations (AUPSOs). Nonetheless, despite advances in recent years, the AU’s Achilles heel remains the lack of adequate resources to support and sustain these operations.  

To address this challenge, the AU has since 2007 been seeking UN-assessed contributions for adequate, sustainable, and predictable funding for AUPSOs. The African members of the UN Security Council (A3) have tried, individually and collectively, to advance the discussion of the financing of AUPSOs through UN-assessed contributions, and the Security Council has adopted several resolutions and presidential statements recognising the need to provide adequate, predictable, and sustainable financing for AUPSOs.  

In 2018, the A3 proposed a draft resolution which sought a clear commitment from the Council to finance AUPSOs from UN-assessed contributions on a case-by-case basis. The draft text placed in blue in December 2018 garnered the support of most Council members, but was never put to a vote because of one permanent member’s strong opposition. In August 2019, as South Africa tried to advance the issue, the AUPSC called on the A3 to suspend their efforts pending the AU’s development of a common position on some of the contentious issues raised during the 2018 negotiations. The AU endorsed a common position in February 2023. 

There has been renewed momentum in the Security Council regarding the discussion of financing AUPSOs since mid-2022. Following a debate on peace and security in Africa during the Chinese presidency in August 2022, the Council adopted a presidential statement. Among other things, the presidential statement requested the Secretary-General to provide the Security Council, by 30 April 2023, a report on progress made by the UN and the AU to fulfill the commitments set out in resolution 2320 of 18 November 2016 on cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organisations, and resolution 2378 of 20 September 2017 on peacekeeping reform.  

The Council asked that the Secretary-General’s April 2023 report include “recommendations on moving forward that reflect good practices and lessons learned with the view to secure predictable, sustainable and flexible resources”.  It is likely to stimulate further discussion and can be expected to encourage the A3 to resume negotiating a substantive Council outcome on the financing issue later in 2023.   

In this research report, Security Council Report offers insights into how the Council has dealt with the financing issue by examining past Council meetings and outcomes. It will also reflect on recent efforts to revive the discussion in the Council—in a changed geopolitical context to that of 2018—examine the prospects for progress in this regard and analyse potential Council dynamics on the financing issue in 2023 before offering some concluding observations.  

View original: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/research-reports/the-financing-of-au-peace-support-operations-prospects-for-progress-in-the-security-council.php

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Sudan Coup Crisis: UN chief appoints Nicholas Haysom to help African Union mediation in Sudan

• UN Chief Appoints Adviser to Help AU Mediation in Sudan
• Report from Voice of America.com
• By Margaret Besheer
• Published Tuesday April 16, 2019 5:45 PM 
• The U.N. secretary-general has appointed special adviser Nicholas Haysom to support the African Union's mediation efforts in Sudan, where the military ousted longtime President Omar al-Bashir last week.
• "He is being put at disposal of the African Union, which we understand will be engaged in some mediation capacity between the transitional council in Khartoum and various parts of Sudanese society," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday. "Mr. Haysom will be there to support them in whatever way he can."
• He said that U.N. chief António Guterres had spoken Monday with Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chair of the African Union Commission, and told him that Haysom would be available.
• "The secretary-general is very attached to his partnership with the African Union and he will do whatever he can to support their efforts," Dujarric said.
• Haysom was most recently the U.N.'s top man in Somalia, but was expelled after four months by the Somali federal government, after he tried to intervene on behalf of a former al-Shabab leader who sought to take part in elections but was banned by Somalia's electoral commission.
• Haysom, a South African lawyer, was previously the U.N. special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan and was head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan.
• The African Union Peace and Security Council issued a strong statement Monday condemning the military takeover in Sudan as an unconstitutional change of government, and demanding the military hand over power to a transitional civilian-led political authority within 15 days.
• Failure to do so, the AU warned, would result in Sudan's suspension from participation in all African Union activities until constitutional order is restored.
• Sudan's General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, head of the Rapid Support Forces, is sworn-in as the appointed deputy of Sudan's Transitional Military Council, standing before the head of transitional council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
• Meanwhile, in Khartoum Tuesday, the country's new military ruler, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, fired the country's top prosecutor in an apparent concession to demonstrators' demands.
• Protest leaders have called for the new ruling military council to be dissolved and replaced by a civilian one, in the wake of the military coup that ousted President al-Bashir last week.
• Mohamed Naji, a senior leader of the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) — the main group behind months of protests against al-Bashir — said the group wants to see a civic council formed that includes representatives from the army.
• On Sunday, Sudan's military council said it would name a civilian prime minister and cabinet minister to help run the country but would not name a civilian to the office of the president. A military spokesman also said the council would not stop the demonstrations that are continuing.
• The SPA has called for more demonstrations until its demands are met.
• The protests began Dec. 19, with demonstrators accusing al-Bashir's government of economic mismanagement that sparked skyrocketing food prices, and fuel and foreign currency shortages.
• Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in connection with atrocities in the western region of Darfur. However, the military leaders have said he will not be turned over to the ICC, but will instead be tried in Sudan.
• Source:  https://www.voanews.com/a/un-chief-appoints-adviser-to-help-au-mediation-in-sudan/4878727.html
• - - -
• 
  
• Updates
• Uganda willing to offer Al-Bashir asylum
• Here below is a link to a video report plus a copy of an accompanying written report by SABC Digital News published at Google’s YouTube on Tuesday, 16 April 2019:
• “The government of Uganda says it is willing to consider granting asylum to deposed Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir. It says, this in appreciation for his role in the South-Sudan peace deal. Uganda's State Minister for foreign affairs Henry Okello Oryem, said on Tuesday in Kampala, that if al-Bashir applied for asylum in Uganda his government could consider the matter. We are now joined LIVE for more on this story by Correspondent Michale Baleke from Kampala, Uganda.”
  Click here to view the video:  https://youtu.be/CLHWaD87WtU
  South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is funded in whole or in part by the South African government. Wikipedia
• Also, posted on this blog’s sister sites UGANDA WATCH and CONGO WATCH.
• - - -
  
  Ex-President Omar al-Bashir moved to prison
  Here is a copy of a report by BBC News online published Wednesday April 17, 2019 11:50 GMT UK:
• Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir has been moved to Kobar maximum security prison, days after he was deposed in a military coup. Reports say the ex-leader has until now been detained at the presidential residence under heavy guard.
  He is reportedly being held in solitary confinement and is surrounded by tight security.
  Months of protests in Sudan led to the ousting and arrest of the long-time ruler on Thursday.
  Uganda's Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Oryem Okello told Reuters news agency the country would consider offering the deposed leader asylum if he applied, despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  As an ICC member, Uganda would have to hand over Mr Bashir if he arrived in the country. The ICC has not yet commented.”
  Click here to read the full story and live updates at BBC News online:
  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47961424