The 15 member countries of the Security Council were unable to come to a consensus, which is why they only extended the political mission of the UN in Sudan for six months instead of the usual renewal of one year. This reflects the fragility while Sudan has been thrown into chaos for over a month and a half.
On Friday, the Security Council actively extended the United Nations Integrated Mission for Transition Assistance in Sudan (Minuats) for six months. Deputy British Ambassador James Kariuki commented that this extension “will give the Security Council the time necessary to assess the impact of current developments on the ability of UNAMITS to fulfill its vital mandate”.
Over time, the UN political mission in Sudan is renewed for only six months, whereas since 2020, when it was created to support the democratic transition in Sudan, it was renewed from year to year. At least also on its role, despite the conflict that has been tearing the country apart for six weeks, the mandate of the mission has not been expanded, to the great regret of the United States.
Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood “regretted that the Council was unable to reach consensus on an updated mandate”. All these conditions were nevertheless necessary to obtain the endorsement of the three African countries (Ghana, Mozambique, and Gabon) of the Council as well as China and Russia.
The Council meeting finally brought to light the strong opposition that the head of the mission, Volker Perthes, is facing from certain Sudanese authorities. Last week, army chief General al-Burhan wrote to the UN chief demanding his dismissal. Antonio Guterres then repeated his “absolute confidence” in his envoy. The Council did the same on Friday while condemning the attacks against civilians and the looting of humanitarian reserves.