Attachments
I. Introduction
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2636 (2022), by which the Council decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS) until 3 June 2023 and requested the Secretary-General to report every 90 days on its implementation. The report covers developments in the Sudan from 21 August to 20 November 2022 and contains an update on the implementation of the Mission’s mandate, with gender considerations integrated throughout as a cross-cutting issue.
II. Significant developments
A. Political situation
2. More than a year since the military coup of 25 October 2021, some indications of a potential breakthrough to end the political crisis in the Sudan have been observed. National, regional and international efforts aimed at facilitating a political solution to restore a civilian-led transitional Government continued, amid pressing humanitarian, social and security needs.
3. The trilateral mechanism, consisting of the United Nations, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), continued its efforts to support Sudanese stakeholders in fostering a political agreement. Several local political initiatives focused on arrangements for a possible future transitional period were put forward by political and civilian forces. On 10 September, the Sudanese Bar Association presented its draft constitution to the mechanism. The draft was developed by a committee composed of various political party groupings, civil society organizations and prominent academics. It was signed by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC)-Central Council, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)-Original, the Popular Congress Party and Ansar al-Sunna, among other groups, as well as a range of civil society organizations, women’s groups and professional associations.
4. In subsequent weeks, the signatories of the Sudanese Bar Association draft constitution continued their efforts to broaden their support base, build consensus and address the remaining issues in the text with a view to setting the stage for negotiations with the military. In parallel, bilateral negotiations between some signatories of the draft constitution and the military resulted in a preliminary understanding on key issues between them. On 24 October, the trilateral mechanism received comments from the military based on that preliminary understanding and was asked by the military to launch a structured political process to facilitate negotiations on the remaining differences. Subsequently, the mechanism engaged intensively with the stakeholders to facilitate political talks aimed at reaching a broadbased civilian and military agreement. On 6 November, in a speech to soldiers and officers at Hattab military base in Khartoum, the Chairperson of the Sovereign Council and the Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, in the presence of the Chief of Staff and Heads of Units, confirmed that understandings had been reached with the civilian component, underscoring that the military was not aligned with any political group, and warned the National Congress Party, the Islamist Movement and others that they would not be allowed to return through the armed forces. On 13 November, Lieutenant General Al-Burhan spoke at the Markhiyat operational base reiterating similar messaging.
5. The Sudan Liberation Movement-Transitional Council and the Gathering of the Sudan Liberation Forces, both signatories of the Juba Agreement for Peace in the Sudan, participated in the work of the Sudanese Bar Association. Meanwhile, non-signatories reiterated their refusal to participate. The Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdel Wahid (SLM/AW) faction rejected dialogue with the military. The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) Abdelaziz al-Hilu faction criticized the document for its failure to address the root causes of the conflict. Peace talks between the latter faction and the Government of the Sudan have not yet resumed, pending the restoration of a civilian Government and a return to constitutional order.
6. Other civilian forces also presented alternative visions for the transitional period. On 28 September, the resistance committees of Khartoum published a document, entitled The Revolutionary Charter to Establish People’s Power, which was signed by some committees from 18 states across the Sudan. The Charter was intended to unify the resistance committees around a broad political vision that included a revolutionary legislative council, formed through a grass-roots process, that would serve as the supreme authority and through which the Prime Minister would be selected. On 8 October, FFC-National Consensus (which includes some signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement), FFC-National Forces, DUP-Original and other parties signed a political declaration that included a proposal for amending the 2019 Constitutional Document.
7. Throughout the reporting period, resistance committees and activists continued to organize protests to denounce military rule and call for an end to the military coup and a return to a civilian Government. While the protests remained largely peaceful, security forces in some cases continued to respond with excessive and disproportionate use of force, resulting in the injury of at least 415 people, mainly from live ammunition, stun grenades and tear gas. As the country marked one year since the coup on 25 October 2021, protests were held across the country by resistance committees and activists on 21, 22 and 23 October. An 18-year-old protester was shot and killed by security forces on 23 October. On 25 October, thousands of people participated in mass protests in major towns across the Sudan. One protester was killed in Khartoum after he was reportedly shot by security forces, bringing the total number of people killed in protests since 25 October 2021 to 119, including at least 21 children and one woman. In a statement issued after 25 October 2022, the Sudanese Police Force reported incidents of targeted violence against the police by organized groups that were unaffiliated with the protest. The United Nations cannot independently verify that information. The police continued to carry out mass arrests during large protests, usually releasing protesters within 48 hours, after charging them with public order offences. During the reporting period, protesters reportedly affiliated with the former regime staged three demonstrations in front of UNITAMS, accusing the Mission of foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs.
8. In Darfur, the situation remained relatively stable, with a reduction in largescale violence compared with the previous reporting period. The local reconciliation agreements concluded in June and July 2022 in West and South Darfur helped to improve stability in the area. On 4 October, the Governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minawi, convened a meeting of the five Darfur state Governors and the native administration in El Fasher to discuss security challenges. A regional native administration body was established to reconcile communities.
9. Significant intercommunal clashes took place in Blue Nile and West Kordofan States. The fighting in Blue Nile has increased in scope and has expanded to new areas, with many people killed, injured and displaced. The situation escalated, with protesters from the Funj tribe holding demonstrations in front of the Governor’s office in the state capital, El Damazin, on 20 and 21 October. The protesters demanded the Governor’s resignation, the cancellation of the Juba Peace Agreement and the withdrawal of certain security forces from the region. The Government’s subsequent deployment of additional security forces helped to curb violence. A delegation from the Blue Nile State native administration and leaders from the Hausa community held separate meetings with government officials and UNITAMS to discuss the causes of the conflict and ways forward.
10. In West Kordofan State, clashes erupted between the Misseriya and Hamar tribes in Abu Zabad town on 12 September, when tensions between the communities regarding land ownership in the locality escalated. Three people were reportedly killed, and four injured. A cessation of hostilities agreement was brokered through local mediation efforts and signed by tribal representatives on 19 September. Members of the Hamar community also organized two road blockades, one starting on 24 August and one starting on 1 October, to demand secession from West Kordofan and the formation of a new state of “Central Kordofan”.
11. On 18 August, two leaders of the SPLM-N Sudanese Revolutionary Front, Malik Agar and Yasir Arman, announced an amicable split. Consequently, on 21 August, 33 individuals, including a former federal government minister, Buthaina Dinar, established the SPLM Democratic Revolutionary Movement, headed by Yasir Arman.
12. Nine individuals from the Misseriya community who had been in custody of the SPLM-N Abdelaziz al-Hilu faction in South Kordofan since August were released and taken to Juba on 11 October, following mediation by the President of South Sudan. On 27 October, UNITAMS was able to secure the release of two women health-care workers in the custody of that faction and evacuate them from the area under the faction’s control. The operation was supported by members of the United Nations country team.
13. In the eastern part of the Sudan, tensions among communities persisted, in particular within the Beja High Council, which remained divided. On 1 October, Mohamed Taher Aila, who had previously served as Prime Minister in the former Government of Omer Al-Bashir, as Governor of Red Sea State and as a prominent member of the dissolved National Congress Party, returned to Port Sudan from Egypt. On 26 October, Nazir Tirik, the leader of one faction of the Beja High Council, rejected the talks conducted between the military and civilians in Khartoum and called for self-determination for the East if Eastern demands were not met. On 9 November, a rival faction of the Beja High Council claimed sovereign authority for the Beja in the East.