Sanctions on Sudan Not Meant to Punish, Committee Chairman Emphasizes

The United Nations Security Council’s 1591 Sanctions Committee has reiterated that its sanctions regime on Sudan was established solely to help bring peace to Darfur and not to punish the country. The committee’s chairman, Harold Adlai Agyeman of Ghana, made this clear during a quarterly update briefing to the council today.

Background

The committee received an interim report from the Sudan Panel of Experts last month, which provided updates on the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement, regional security, and violence in Darfur. The panel’s recommendations are currently being considered by the committee, with a press release issued earlier this month summarizing the briefing.

Chairman’s Statement

“We want to reiterate that the sanctions regime was established for the sole purpose of helping to bring peace to Darfur,” Agyeman said. “It is not to punish Sudan, but to support the attainment of sustainable peace.”

Sudanese Representative’s Concerns

However, Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, Sudan’s representative to the council, argued that the sanctions are no longer consistent with the reality on the ground in Darfur. He pointed out that despite progress made, the international community has yet to provide necessary financial and technical resources to support peace efforts.

Remaining Challenges

Mohamed highlighted remaining challenges such as intermittent communal clashes, which are being addressed through transitional dispute-settlement mechanisms. He also mentioned successful reconciliation meetings between tribes in West and South Darfur, which have resolved disputes over land and facilitated the return of refugees and displaced people to their villages.

Government’s Request for Support

The Sudanese government has called on the international community to support the implementation of the peace accord with necessary resources, while thanking countries that have provided assistance so far. Mohamed also highlighted the graduation of the first batch of 2,000 Joint Security Keeping Forces, which will eventually consist of 12,000 elements, equally divided between government forces and former armed movement members.

Disappointment and Concerns

The Sudanese representative expressed disappointment at the stalled negotiations among council members on setting benchmarks and targets for sanctions relief. He emphasized the need for realistic, actionable, and measurable benchmarks and warned that maintaining the sanctions without such an assessment would lead to a deviation from their original objectives.

Call for Objectivity and Cooperation

Mohamed questioned the unstated goals of the sanctions regime and expressed Sudan’s willingness to work with council members willing to objectively assess the punitive measures and establish practical, realistic, and actionable benchmarks for review.