UN Security Council extends UNITAMS mandate for 12 months
June 3, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The Security Council on Friday extended the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission (UNITAMS) for one year.
The Council ” Decides to extend the mandate of UNITAMS until 3 June 2023 as contained in paragraph 3 of resolution 2579 (2021)”; reads the one-page resolution was unanimously adopted by the 15-member body.
The mention made to resolution 2579 means to reaffirm four strategic objectives the UNITAMS has to focus on it.
These objectives are: (i) assisting political transition; (ii) supporting the peace implementation and future peace agreements; (iii) assisting peace-building, civilian protection and rule of law, in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, and (iv) supporting the mobilisation of economic and development assistance.
The merits of the resolution reaffirmed all the previous resolutions and presidential statements on Sudan and took note of the latest report by the UN Secretary-General on the situation in Sudan including the coup d’état and violent repression.
The three African countries (Kenya Ghana and Gabon) and India introduced some amendments supporting the Sudanese government’s calls for prioritizing support for peace implementations and elections.
While Russia and China requested only to maintain the concise “rollover” formula of the resolution and to avoid mentioning the coup d’état.
The Sudanese ambassador described some wording in the draft resolution as “unbalanced and lacked objectivity”.
When the text of the draft resolution passed silence on May 31, some Sudanese newspapers reported the adoption of the rollover resolution as a victory for the military government in Khartoum.
Sudan sought to mobilize the support of the African countries, Russia, and China. The United Arab Emirates, a non-member member of the Security Council, seemingly did not support Khartoum’s efforts.
On June 1, Sudanese Islamist groups organized a protest outside the UNITAMS premises in Khartoum calling to declare the Mission head Volker Perthes as persona non-grata and expel him.
(ST)