The head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), has called for international financial assistance to execute Sudan’s peace accord and ensure civilian security.
Volker Perthes updated the Security Council on Tuesday on the Juba Peace Agreement’s implementation and the transitional government’s ongoing democratic reforms. Despite significant progress since his last report in May, he told the 15-member body that the country remains in a dire economic state, while war rages in Darfur and eastern Sudan.
He also mentioned the lack of justice and accountability for war crimes in Darfur, as well as the violent attacks on people during and after the revolution that destroyed the previous regime. He stressed the importance of deploying the Joint Security Keeping Forces to stop attacks on civilians and intercommunal violence in Darfur, given the current security situation. “Between January and August 2021, about 418,000 people were newly displaced as a result of conflicts and armed attacks across Sudan, mainly in Darfur, parts of Kordofan and the Blue Nile,” he said. “This is more than six times as many as in the same period last year,” he further stressed.
According to UNITAMS Decision 2579, ceasefire monitoring in Darfur is a “priority area.” In addition, the Mission chairs the ceasefire commission, a position that permits it to closely monitor the security arrangements’ execution. Perthes reminded the Council that the Sudanese parties anticipate international logistical and financial assistance in putting the security arrangements in place. “Indeed, if Member States want security and stability in Darfur, they should not shy away from making resources available for, among other things, the training and support of the planned Joint Security Keeping Forces, the police, or the demobilization and reintegration of fighters,” he expressed.
Tunisia’s representative in the Security Council, speaking on behalf of the African group, urged parties to the Juba Peace Agreement to continue to execute its terms and establish important transitional institutions. He went on to say that the Juba Peace Agreement would be difficult to implement due to a lack of financial and technical resources. He also praised the establishment of the Sudan Peace Fund and urged all of the country’s allies to support it.
