LONDON, 14 September 2021 / PRN Africa / --

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the Security Council briefing on Sudan.

Thank you Madam President. Let me begin by thanking Special Representative of the Secretary-General Perthes, Ms. Hala Alkarib and Ambassador Jurgenson for their briefings. I would like to make three key points in response to what we have heard.

Firstly, I would like to join Mr. Perthes in recognising and commending the significant and continuing progress towards a more peaceful, prosperous and democratic Sudan. We welcome Prime Minister Hamdok's initiative of 22 June and encourage the buy-in of all parts of the government.

We also commend the deepening cooperation between the Government and the International Criminal Court, particularly the recent visit of the Chief Prosecutor and the decision of the Sudanese Cabinet to transfer indictees to The Hague.

Secondly, I want to acknowledge that despite this progress, significant challenges remain. Commitments are welcome but these need to translate swiftly into concrete actions that improve the lives of Sudanese civilians.

Increased intercommunal clashes, particularly in Darfur, are concerning. The plight of over 300,000 civilians displaced so far this year demonstrates the urgency of tackling intercommunal violence.

Ms. Alkarib has just given us a powerful account of the plight of women in Sudan.

So, we urge the Government to expedite implementation of their National Plan for Civilian Protection and other efforts to prevent and reduce violence at the community level, including violence against women and girls. In this regard, we welcome the Sudanese Police Force's engagement with UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), and the formulation of a ‘one-UN' Protection of Civilians strategy to support the Government's efforts.

We also urge the Government to build on the initial progress made in implementing the Juba Peace Agreement. We echo the Secretary-General's call for the timely formation of the Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism and urge the swift establishment of the Peace Commission.

In July, the Special Envoy of the United Kingdom and his US and Norwegian counterparts joined Mr. Perthes to visit areas under control of the SPLM-North al-Hilu in support of peace talks.

We welcome the talks between the Government and the SPLM North al-Hilu faction and continue to call for their swift resumption. We commend the role of UNITAMS in facilitating these talks, in particular efforts to strengthen women's meaningful participation and inclusion.

I reiterate our call for those who remain outside the peace process to engage in it swiftly and without pre-conditions.

Thirdly, Madam President, it is clear that for the Government of Sudan's efforts to be sustainable, they must be underpinned by a significant investment in peacebuilding. That is why the United Kingdom has provided early contributions to the Sudan Peace Fund.

We commend the peacebuilding support already being provided to Sudan by UNITAMS and the UN Country Team. In order to inform our future deliberations we encourage Mr. Perthes to share findings of the mission's state-level peacebuilding assessments with the Council.

A joined-up approach across the UN system in conducting these assessments, and in delivering its support to Sudan, will be crucial to maximise resources and impact.

In closing, Madam President, the United Kingdom encourages continued partnership between the Government, UNITAMS, international partners and all stakeholders for the success of Sudan's transition.

Thank you.

SOURCE UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office