Khartoum , December 2(Darfur24)The Security Council on Friday decided to terminate the mandate of the UN political mission in Sudan from next Monday, after Khartoum called for its immediate withdrawal last month.
Sudan’s military Government, whose forces have been battling the RSF forces for control of the country since April, has said that the UN mission was failing to meet expectations.
The end of the UN Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) comes against the backdrop of the continuing war raging between rival militaries that has claimed over 6,000 lives, driven millions from their homes, led to abhorrent sexual and gender-based violence, and precipitated a severe humanitarian crisis.
Adopting resolution 2715 (2023) by 14 votes in favour and one abstention (Russia), the Security Council requested UNITAMS “immediately start on 4 December 2023, the cessation of its operations and the process of the transfer of its tasks, where appropriate and to the extent feasible, to UN agencies, funds and programmes, with the objective of completing this by 29 February 2024.”
The Council also decided that the Mission’s liquidation shall commence 1 March 2024, and underlined the need for an orderly transition to ensure the safety of UN personnel and the effective functioning of all UN operations.
‘Not abandoning Sudanese people’
Following the vote to close the mission, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said the Organization stands with the Sudanese people.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Ms. DiCarlo stated “the Security Council just voted to close down UNITAMS, but the UN is not abandoning the Sudanese people.”
“We urge full support for the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, to bolster efforts to bring the devastating conflict to an end,” she added.
The 15-member Security Council also authorized, for the duration of UNITAMS’ transition and liquidation, “the retention of necessary security personnel” to protect UNITAMS’ staffers, facilities and assets and called on all relevant Sudanese parties to cooperate fully with the UN during the process.
It also called on Sudan to act in accordance with its full legal obligations.
Speaking after the vote, Security Council members highlighted the volatile security and humanitarian situation in the country and stressed that the Sudanese authorities remain responsible for the safety and security of UNITAMS staff and assets during the transition.
“Let me be clear, the United Kingdom would have chosen to close UNITAMS at this moment,” said Deputy Permanent Representative James Kariuki, commending the work of the mission “for and since the outbreak of the conflict”.
“But given the unequivocal demand of the Sudanese authorities for the immediate terminations, we have worked tireless as penholder to agree a compromise to allow an orderly transition and liquidation,” he added.
The representative of Russia referred to the letter by the Foreign Minister of Sudan that called for the closure of UNITAMS.
She said that such a position “is not arrived at random” and that the Security Council “has to admit candidly” that the Mission did not manage to carry out its mandated tasks, created at the request of Sudan to support the political transition process following the ouster of former ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
“It stopped tallying with the changed reality of the country and basically it started working in the interest of just one political group, which did not enjoy mass support in the Sudanese society,” she said, underscoring that the ending of UNITAMS is the sovereign right of the Sudanese authorities , she concluded “.