June 3, 2020 (NEW YORK) - The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is expected in the coming hours to adopt a resolution that would establish a United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) to support the government in Khartoum during the transitional period.

A UN Security Council session on New York (UN photo)

The resolutions on UNITAMS and UNAMID will be adopted in a videoconference meeting of the Security Council members to be held at 9.45 a.m. (New York time) tomorrow, 4 June 2020.

The draft resolution seen by Sudan Tribune refers to the objectives indicated by the Government of Sudan in its letter addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on February 27th.

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok came under fire for calling on the UN to establish a new mission in Sudan with an expanded role.

Hamdok insisted however that the mission does not include uniformed forces and will not interfere in his government’s policies but will provide the needed support to implement its goals and objectives.

The resolution says the new mission should be operational no later than 1 January 2021 and urged the Secretary-General to appoint a Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Sudan and Head of Mission of UNITAMS. 

The SRSG will have a deputy who will serve as Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator.

The resolution does omit reference to the chapter in the UN charter that would govern the mandate of the new mission despite assertions by Khartoum that it would be a Chapter VI mission.

The mandate proved to be a contentious issue, inside Sudan and among UNSC members but the resolution underscores that the UNITMAS’s objectives would observe "the principles of national ownership".

The mission will "assist the political transition, progress towards democratic governance, in the protection and promotion of human rights, and sustainable peace" reads the resolution in its first objective.

UNITMAS will also support peace processes and implementation of future peace agreements including the demobilisation and integration programmes.

It will also monitor ceasefire agreements with a particular focus on Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region.

The new mission will not have a civilian protection mandate and will focus instead on an advisory role and capacity building support for Sudanese security authorities.

"Supporting the Government of Sudan in implementing the National Plan for Civilian Protection" reads the final version instead of a previous version speaking about the "developing and implementing a protection of civilians strategy".

Furthermore, the mission will support the Sudanese government on the economic front through the mobilisation of economic and development assistance and coordination of humanitarian assistance.

A second resolution that will be adopted simultaneously would extend the peacekeeper mission in Darfur (UNAMID) through Dec 31 in order to give it more time to complete a drawdown in line with the exit strategy.

(ST)