The 886th meeting of the Peace and Security Council on the situation in the Republic of South Sudan

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council at its 886th meeting held on 15 October 2019, on the situation in the Republic of South Sudan,

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling its previous communiqués and press statements on the situation in South Sudan, including Communique PSC/AHG/COMM(DCXXVI adopted at its 720th meeting held on 20 September 2016 in New York, Communique PSC/PR/COMM.(DCCLI) adopted at its 751st meeting held on 8 February 2018 and PSC/PR/COMM.(DCCLXVIII) adopted at its 768th meeting held on 26 April 2018, as well as its Communique PSC/AHG/COMM.(DCCLXXXIII) adopted at its 783rd meeting held in Nouakchott, Mauritania, at the level of Heads of State and Government, on 30 June 2018;

Taking note of the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the situation in South Sudan; Noting the statements by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Liberia to the African Union, H.E. Ambassador Robert Y. Lormia II, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the PSC for the month of October 2019 and by the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission for South Sudan, H.E. Ambassador Joram Biswaro; also noting the statements made by the representative of the Republic of South Sudan, the representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, in its capacity as Chair of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Special Envoy of IGAD, the acting Chair of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), the representative of South Africa, in its capacity as Chairperson of the AU Ad Hoc Committee for South Sudan, as well as by the Special Representative of the United Nations to the AU (UNOAU);

Reaffirming the solidarity of the African Union with the people and the Government of South Sudan in their aspirations to restore peace and stability in their country;

Acknowledging the efforts being deployed by the Government of South Sudan and all the parties, as well as the overall progress achieved to date in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS);

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

1. Urges all parties to unconditionally adhere to the deadline of 12 November 2019 for the formation of an inclusive Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU), with a view to building trust and therefore, also urges the parties to amicably address all outstanding issues especially those relating to the transitional security arrangements, the number of states and boundaries;

2. Underscores the necessity of ensuring that stipulated timelines in the R-ARCSS are respected, with a view to pave the way for the successful organization and holding of national elections at the end of the interim process, which would enable the people of South Sudan to elect political representatives of their choice;

3. Welcomesthe face-to-face meetings held on the 9 and 11 September, between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Dr. Riek Machar, and encourages the two leaders to persevere and continue engaging in genuine dialogue to address the challenges at hand;

4. Commends the IGAD leadership for endorsing the non-renewable six months extension of the Pre-interim period of the Revitalized Peace Agreement and for its dedication and contribution to the promotion of peace, security, stability and reconciliation in South Sudan; also commends the IGAD Special Envoy, H.E. Ambassador Ismail Waise, for his relentless efforts and commitment to continue to assist the parties in fulfilling their obligations in accordance with the R-ARCSS;

5. Further commendsthe United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the R-JMEC and the Revitalized Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (R-CTSAMVM) for their continued support to the implementation of the R-ACRSS and for ensuring the protection of civilians;

6. Stresses the need for all regional and international stakeholders to further enhance coordination and harmonize their efforts, under the leadership of IGAD for the promotion of peace, security and development in South Sudan;

7. Welcomesthe planned visit to South Sudan by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to South Sudan in the coming days, and encourages the Security Council to impress upon the South Sudanese parties to redouble their efforts in order to expedite the implementation of the Peace Agreement and to ensure the formation of R-TGoNU on the agreed date of 12 November 2019;

8. Urges all South Sudanese parties to continue to faithfully abide by the Permanent Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements signed on 27 June 2018, in order to facilitate the operationalization of the Transitional Security Arrangements and the repatriation, as well as voluntary return, resettlement, rehabilitation and reintegration of returnees;

9. Expresses deep concern over the violation of international humanitarian law, including occupation of civilian buildings countrywide, such as schools, hospitals and clinics, and urges the parties concerned to vacate these facilities without further delay;

10. Commends IGAD for the ongoing efforts aimed at ensuring the participation of nonsignatories in the implementation of the R-ARCSS, with a view to promoting an inclusive process; and in this regard, encourages the non-signatories to the R-ARCSS to uphold the supreme interests of their country above all else, reconsider their current position and join the peace process without further delay;

11. Calls on all countries hosting the non-signatories to make use of their influence to encourage them to participate in the peace process;

12. Requests the UN and IGAD to consider possible immediate actions that could be taken against peace spoilers in the interest of peace, security and development in South Sudan;

13. Underscores the importance of free movement for all individuals and parties engaged in the support of and fulfillment of the South Sudanese Peace Agreement; in this respect, requests next IGAD Extra-Ordinary Summit to urgently address the restriction of Dr. Riek Machar’s movements in order to facilitate his travel to South Sudan and the region, in support of the implementation of the peace process and in line with IGAD’s decisions;

14. Encourages the current Government of South Sudan to expeditiously disburse the remaining funds for the implementation of the Peace Agreement as per the commitment made by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, in May 2019; in the same context, Council appeals to the international community to further enhance its support towards the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, which is at a critical stage;

15. Reaffirms its commitment to combat impunity all over the continent; in this regard, calls on the South Sudanese Government and all concerned stakeholders, including the AU Commission, to expeditiously work towards the operationalization of all transitional justice mechanisms, including the Hybrid Court for South Sudan;

16. Notes with concern the growing humanitarian situation in South Sudan and strongly appeals to the international community for contributions towards alleviating the plight of the people of South Sudan;

17. Requests the international community to further enhance its financial, material and logistical support to the peace process, especially the transitional security arrangements to assist the speedy cantonment, screening, training and deployment of the South Sudanese Necessary United Forces (NUF) for the protection of officials during the interim process of the Peace Agreement;

18. Underscores that the Revitalized Peace Agreement offers the South Sudanese unparalleled unique window of opportunity to end war and begin a path towards stabilization and development; In this regard, Council encouragesthe international community, especially the countries of the region to continue to provide financial and other necessary support to this peace process, in order to ensure respite from persistent war, hunger and misery for the people of South Sudan;

19. Also requests the AU Commission to expedite the re-directing of some of the assets of the AU Mission in South Sudan, towards facilitating the peace process;

20. Calls on the African Union High Level Ad Hoc Committee for South Sudan (C5), to undertake the working visit to South Sudan before 12 November 2019, in order to encourage the parties to establish the Transitional Government, as well as to express continued African solidarity with the people of South Sudan;

21. Congratulatesthe Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, and the people of Ethiopia on winning the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize;

22. Decides to remain seized of the matter.