Communique of the 1060th meeting of the PSC held on 25 January 2022 on the situation in Sudan

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PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL 1060™ MEETING 25 JANUARY 2022 ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

PSC/PR/COMM.1/1060 (2022)

COMMUNIQUE

COMMUNIQUE

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1060^th meeting held on 25 January 2022 on the situation in Sudan:

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling its previous decisions and pronouncements on the situation in Sudan, particularly Communiques [PSC/PR/COMM.1050 (2021)] adopted at its 1050^th meeting on 24 November 2021 and [PSC/PR/COMM.1041(2021)] adopted at its 1041^st meeting held on 26 October 2021, as well as the statements of the Chairperson of the AU Commission issued on 17 November 2021 and 21 November 2021;

Also recalling the relevant provisions ofthe AU Constitutive Act, the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, particularly Article 7 (g) and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance;

Cognizant of the vital importance of peace, security and stability in Sudan and reiterating the unwavering commitment of the AU to continue to respect Sudan's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity;

Noting the opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, Permanent Representative ofthe Republic of Ghana to the AU and Chairperson ofthe PSC for January 2022, the presentation and report of the mission to Sudan by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, and the briefing by H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Belaiche, Special Representative ofthe Chairperson ofthe AU Commission for Sudan;

Reajfirming the solidarity ofthe AU with the people ofthe Republic of Sudan in their legitimate aspirations to deepen and consolidate democracy and their efforts to overcome the challenges facing their country; and reiterating the continued commitment of the AU to support a legitimately constituted Transitional Government of Sudan in implementing the priorities ofthe political transition arrangement; and

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

1. Takes note of the most recent political developments in Sudan, particularly the resignation of the Prime Minister, H.E Abdallah Hamdok, on 2 December 2021 and the political vacuum created by this resignation;

2. Also takes note of the ongoing talks between the military and civilian components in line with the Constitutional Declaration of August 2019 aimed at appointing a Prime Minister and forming a civilian government capable of meeting the requirements of the transitional period; and in this regard, calls on all the parties and stakeholders to place the supreme interest of Sudan and its people above all else and resolve any differences peacefully;

3. Welcomes the appointment of the civilian Cabinet of Ministers comprising technocrats on 12 January 2022 and urges the Sovereign Council to organize an all-inclusive political process in which all political forces, without exclusion, participate in exploring a sustainable path towards democracy and peace, and collectively decide on a way out of the current political crisis;

4. Underscores the primacy of dialogue between signatories of the Constitutional Declaration of August 2019 and the Juba Peace Agreement of October 2020 and all the stakeholders in the country as a viable approach in pursuance of a democratic transition, peace, security and stability in the country; and requests the AU Commission to propose a dialogue/mediation plan to promptly provide technical and other necessary support to Sudan; in this context, emphasizes that the Juba Peace Agreement should continue to guide the transition plan, in order to avoid any relapse into conflict by the signatory armed groups who have been peacefully participating in the transition process in Sudan;

5. Encourages an inclusive political process in which all stakeholders wholly representing the strata ofthe Sudanese society are involved to participate in the proposed constitutional conference to facilitate the drafting of a comprehensive and overall acceptable new constitution ofthe country;

6. Urges all stakeholders to commit towards completing the institutions of the transitional period as stipulated in the Constitutional Declaration of August 2019, including the Legislative Council, the Constitutional Court, and Commissions, especially the Electoral Commission, to ensure that the international community can support through technical resources needed for organizing the elections;

7. Condemns the killing of innocent civilians and the violence that occurred during the ongoing political demonstrations in Sudan and reiterates the call upon the Sudanese authorities to undertake a prompt, independent, transparent and effective investigation into alleged killings of protesters and other violations since 25 October 2021 and to prosecute all those responsible for these violations in accordance with the laws ofthe country;

8. Urges the Sudanese authorities, in line with the AU instruments, in particular Article 25(2) of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, to promote and protect the human rights of the civilian and refrain from the use of excessive and lethal force against protesters;

9. Reiterates the call for the unconditional release of all political detainees as a necessary step towards genuine national reconciliation and rebuilding of the nation;

10. Underlines the imperative of creating an enabling environment for the country to return to civilian leadership as stipulated in the Constitutional Declaration of August 2019 and organize free, fair and credible elections to elect a civilian-led government in the next six (6) to 12 months; and requests the AU Commission to provide technical support towards the organization of elections;

11. Reiterates that the AU should continue to accompany Sudan during its transition, including through the efforts ofthe Chairperson ofthe AU Commission, Sudan's neighbouring countries and IGAD;

12. Welcomes the efforts by the Chairperson of the AU Commission in using his good offices to accompany Sudan during the transition pursuant to the decision adopted through Communique [PSC/PR/COMM. 1050 (2021)] at its 1050th meeting held on 24 November 2021, including the recent deployment of the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) as an Emissary to Sudan on 15 to 16 January 2022, wherein a special message was delivered to General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of Sovereign Council; in this regard, endorses the Report of the AU Commissioner for PAPS, its key findings and recommendations;

13. Also welcomes the subsequent mission of the Deputy Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and his engagement with the Chairperson of the AU Commission, and requests the Chairperson of the AU Commission to intensify engagements with the Sovereign Council of Sudan and all other stakeholders, to consider undertaking a follow-on mission to Sudan to consolidate efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability to pave the way for reconstruction and economic recovery in that country;

14. Tasks the AU Commission, in consultations with all relevant stakeholders, to establish a mechanism aimed at supporting Sudan and coordinate the international community efforts, and ensure the full involvement ofthe AU in supporting Sudan;

15. Notes all international efforts aimed at finding a sustainable solution to the current crisis in Sudan, including the initiative of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), and stresses the need for the African Union to coordinate the international community efforts in Sudan in order to harmonize efforts aimed at resolving the crisis in Sudan;

16. Appeals to all AU Member States, the United Nations and all other partners to continue providing their support, including through mobilization of financial and humanitarian assistance to Sudan, and urges the international partners and financial institutions to resume their economic and developmental assistance to Sudan promptly;

17. Reiterates its decision to undertake a field mission to Sudan, when conditions permit, to engage with all relevant stakeholders with the aim to contribute towards resolving the current crisis in the country; and

18. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.