UN Under-Secretary DiCarlo meets Sudan’s military and civilian heads

The UN Under-Secretary for Political Affairs and Peace-building Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, met with the Chairman of the Sovereign Council Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan and Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok in separate meetings in Khartoum on Wednesday.

El Burhan received Under-Secretary DiCarlo in his office at the Republican Palace together with Special Advisor of the UN Secretary-General on Sudan, Nicholas Haysom.

In a press statement following the meeting, DiCarlo, indicated that it was “constructive”, and have “tackled the issues of the transitional period and ways for the UN support the projects of the period.”

She affirmed the commitment of the international organisation to provide everything that would facilitate the completion of these projects. DiCarlo expressed her special congratulations to the Sudanese people on the political success they had achieved.

Also on Wednesday, DiCarlo and Haysom met with PM Hamdok, in the presence of Sudan’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Ambassador Omar Manis, and Omar Gamaredin, the State Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a press statement via the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA), DiCarlo, noted that her visit to Sudan is an affirmation of the UN keenness to support Sudan, expressing pleasure over the recent developments in Sudan. She stressed “the commitment of the UN to support Sudan’s transitional government to realise the demands and aspirations of the Sudanese people for a better future”.

The UN Secretary-General’s special advisor on Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, explained that the meeting touched on the requirements and needs of Sudan, the challenges it is facing, and the role of the international community and the United Nations in supporting Sudan to overcome these challenges.

Unamid drawdown

As reported by Radio Dabanga on February 9, Sudan’s transitional government has asked the United Nations Security Council to establish a Special Political Mission/Peace Support Operation to assist in the peace process and help Sudan to mobilise international financial assistance.

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres dated January 27, signed by Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, and seen by Radio Dabanga, deals with political developments in Sudan and the government’s position on what might occur following the scheduled drawdown of the Unamid Darfur peacekeeping mission.

The Sudanese government “requests the United Nations to seek a Security Council mandate to establish, as soon as possible, a Chapter VI peace support operation in the form of a special political mission with a strong peacebuilding component,” he wrote in a letter seen by Radio Dabanga.

Cabinet briefing

On Wednesday, PM Abdallah Hamdouk presented a briefing to the Council of Ministers on the message he presented to the United Nations that “raised some confusion in the social media”.

In a separate press briefing via SUNA after the cabinet session today, Minister Salih said that the Prime Minister indicated that Sudan has remained under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter for several years, which gives the United Nations through the Security Council the right to define steps to be taken on Sudan.

Salih said that Chapter VII permits the presence of military forces, which is the chapter under which Unamid forces entered Darfur, indicating that when a decision was taken to withdraw Unamid forces in stages, discussions and consultations began to prepare for the post-Unamid phase, where a national committee was formed from several competent authorities that has been in dialogue and consultations with internal actors and the United Nations.

Salih said that the Prime Minister presented this letter, which is a proposal to move Sudan from Chapter VII to Chapter VI, under which Sudan can decide what it wants from the United Nations, pointing out that Hamdok’s letter specified the assistance requested by Sudan from the United Nations that contribute to supporting the process of democratization, support the peace process, and the enhancement of development efforts by converting the United Nations operations from humanitarian relief to realizing development in Sudan.

He said that the letter would be subject to consultations in the corridors of the United Nations to reach agreement on it.