Situation in Sudan

AFRICAN UNION

UNIAO AFRICANA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P.O. Box: 3243 Tel.: (251-11) 551 7700 Fax: (251-11) 5519 321

Email: situationroom@africa-union.org

PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL 884™ MEETING

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA 10 OCTOBER 2019

PSC/PR/COMM (DCCCLXXXIV)

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 884^th meeting, held on 10 October 2019, followed a Joint briefing by AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui and the UN Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Ambassador Jean-Pierre Lacroix, on the Situation in Sudan.

Taking note of the briefing by the Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui and the Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations Jean Pierre Lacroix, for their briefing on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) transition process as well as the situation in the Sudan;

Welcoming the briefing by the Representatives of Sudan and the Representative of Ethiopia as Chair of IGAD;

Reaffirming the solidarity of the African Union with the Sudanese people and Transitional Government in their aspirations to constitutional order that will enable them to make progress in their efforts towards the democratic transformation of the country;

Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Sudan, as well as its support to the democratic transformation in Sudan;

Acting under article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1. Commends the Transitional Sovereign Council and the Transitional Government of Sudan for their ongoing cooperation, commitment and coordinated engagement in addressing the multiple challenges facing the country; In this regard, calls on all Sudanese stakeholders to maintain the momentum thus far displayed, in particular strong coordination and cooperation among the transitional authorities, as this will restore the confidence of the people of Sudan in national institutions;

2. Also commends the articulate policy submission made by Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok during a high-level event held on 27^th September 2019, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, at the initiative of the AU Commission Chairperson and United Nations Secretary-General;

3. Acknowledges that the priorities set out by the Prime Minister of Sudan to focus on achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace across Sudan, including in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, and on the urgent needed economic recovery for the country;

4. Notes with great concern the state of the economy of the Republic of Sudan and acknowledges that it requires concerted efforts for an urgent economic revival with a view to assist the government in meeting the basic needs of the Sudanese people.;

5. Welcomes the strong support expressed by the international community for the removal of the Republic of Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism at the end of the high-level

event on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York General, held on 27^th September 2019;

6. Underlines the need for external actors to refrain from any action or initiatives that could further complicate the situation in Sudan;

7. Welcomes the signing of the Juba Declaration, on 11 September, the Transitional Sovereign Council, the SRF, SPLM-North of Abdul Aziz al-Hilu, Beja Congress, and Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance of Tahir Hajar signed, under the auspices of President Salva Kiir of South Sudan, which provides for a series of measures, including: a ceasefire, the opening of humanitarian corridors, the release of war prisoners, the end of travel bans for the movements' leaders, the establishment of a preparatory committee for peace negotiations, and also the postponement of the transitional legislative assembly and appointment of governors of the states until the peace agreement has been reached; notes that the parties also agreed that the peace talks would address the specificity of war-affected regions in Darfur, the Two Areas, East and North Sudan.

8. Looks forward to the convening of the second round of the peace talks in Juba, in the coming days, and encourages the parties to the conflict to reach a peace agreement by December 2019;

9. Takes note of the Juba Declaration request for the African Union Peace and Security Council "to issue a new mandate on Sudan peace negotiations" and, subsequently, for the United Nations Security Council "to endorse" it; requests the Chairperson of the AU Commission to present a proposal in this regard as soon as possible;

10. Welcomes the outcomes of the 27^th UNAMID Tripartite Mechanism as well as looking forward to the proposals to be made within the context of the joint AU-UN strategic review which is to be presented soon; further welcomes the Tripartite Meeting to establish a Joint Task Force that should finalize options for a possible follow-on presence to be presented in the December 2019; underscores that, given the amount of time and resources spent in addressing the conflict of Darfur, it is imperative that the withdrawal of the mission should take into account the progress made in the peace process aimed at ending the conflict; in this regard, calls upon all Movements to commit to a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Darfur; cautions that any further delays, by whomsoever, may end in those parties being labelled as spoilers for the peace process and appropriate measures being taken against them;

11. Reaffirms the determination of the AU, in close coordination with the international community, to assist the Government of Sudan in all efforts aimed at removing the country from the list of states sponsors of terrorism; in this regard, agrees to convene a special meeting to explore, together with international partners, ways and means to assist the process of lifting the economic sanctions, including the release of Sudanese assets frozen in some countries, as well as removing the Republic of Sudan from the list of states sponsors of terrorism; calls on the AU Commission and its member states, in solidarity with Republic of Sudan, to use all available platforms to urge the United States of America (USA) to remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and end all economic sanctions; in this context, underscores the need for international partners to take the necessary comprehensive measures aimed at debt relief for Sudan; calls on the UN Security Council, as part of efforts aimed at assisting democratic transformation and sustainable peace in Sudan, to reconsider all measures contained in its resolution 1591 of 2005;

12. Calls on the Chairperson of the AU Commission, in close coordination with the relevant stakeholders in Sudan, IGAD and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), within the framework of relevant AU instruments relating to the fight against impunity, to make concrete proposals on the modalities for an investigation into the deadly events which took place from 3 June 2019 in Sudan, and report to Council;

13. Decides to visit the Republic of Sudan, in 2020, with a view to express AU's solidarity to the Government and the people of Sudan and better understand the developments in the country since the signing of the Constitutional Declaration;

14. Decides to remain seized of the matter.