3 June 2011 No. 1

visit of security council delegation to africa

Expected Council Action The visit to Nairobi was designed Côte d’Ivoire On Monday 6 June the Council is ex- to enable members to reiterate the Somalia pecting a briefing on the visit to Africa Council’s grave concern about the which Council members took from 19 continued inability of the Somali 2. Strengthening of Methods of Work to 26 May. The trip consisted of the fol- Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) and Cooperation lowing segments, and their respective components to work constructively 3. Consideration and Adoption of the leaders or co-leaders will be the brief- with each other or the UN. A related Draft Joint Statement ers: AU headquarters in Addis Ababa part of the message was reaffirm- (led by Council President Ambassador ing support for the work of Special The discussions on Libya took the Gerard Araud of France); Sudan (co- Representative of the Secretary- longest and lasted over two hours. led by Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of General Augustine Mahiga, and Several of the PSC members were and Ambassador Susan Rice urging the TFIs to engage fully, con- sharply critical of the Council’s ap- of the US) and a Somalia-focused structively and without further delay in proach and of what they considered visit to Nairobi (co-led by Ambassador the consultative process facilitated by a misinterpretation of the language Baso Sangqu of South Africa and the Special Representative. of resolutions 1970 and 1973. A Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant of the particularly sensitive issue was the UK). In addition, members of the Council leadership role of UN envoy Abdel- also met with the top leaders of Elah Al-Khatib versus that of the AU Background Ethiopia and Kenya. High Level Ad Hoc Committee. (The The annual consultations with the 5 May meeting of the Contact Group AU’s Peace and Security Council on Libya had previously agreed that (PSC) was the main focus of the 20- Addis Ababa Khatib should be the focal point for all 21 May visit to Addis Ababa. The meeting with the PSC was the mediation efforts and the AU side ex- fifth such annual consultation be- pressed serious concerns that this ap- The visit to Sudan (from 21 to 23 May tween the two bodies. (They started proach could side-line the AU’s role.) in the north part of the country and in 2007 and have been alternating from 23 to 24 May in the south part between the two organisations’ head- The discussion of Côte d’Ivoire took of the country) was supposed to fo- quarters, in Addis Ababa and New place on the day of the inauguration cus on a range of issues, including: York.) Of the five, this was the longest of President Alassane Ouattara in the upcoming independence of South meeting, lasting from 10:30 am to 5 Yamoussoukro, and it appears that Sudan; the implementation of the pm (with a very short lunch break in this part of the meeting reflected par- Comprehensive Peace Agreement; the middle) and the first one in which ticipants’ relief that the protracted cri- the work of the two Council-mandated country-specific situations took up the sis had ended and expressed hope for operations in Sudan, the UN Mission bulk of the agenda. In previous years, the country’s future. in Sudan (UNMIS) and the AU/UN process issues dominated the meet- Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID); ings, with relatively little time devoted On Sudan, members spoke about and the situation in Abyei. The events to substance. The agreed agenda for the aftermath of the referendum, related to the takeover of Abyei by the the 21 May meeting was as follows: the upcoming independence of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on 21 South and of their concerns about in- May considerably shifted the focus of 1. Crisis Situations: creased violence in Darfur and Abyei. the visit. Libya On that last issue, members of both

Security Council Report One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, 885 Second Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10017 T:1 212 759 9429 F:1 212 759 4038 www.securitycouncilreport.org 1 Visit of Security Council Delegation to Africa councils stressed the importance of late in the day on 21 May, the itiner- could have meant a 24 hour delay, it the July 2009 ruling by The Hague’s ary included an evening and a day was decided that a press statement Permanent Court of Arbitration. An of meetings in Khartoum, followed which could be quickly turned around area of some tension appears to by a visit to Abyei on 23 May, and a was the better option. have been the approach to the Darfur trip to Juba for 23-24 May. However, Peace Process (DPP), which the PSC in the evening of 21 May, Abyei was The statement condemned the “es- has fully embraced, but the Security attacked and subsequently taken over calatory military operations” being Council has not with some members by SAF, turning the disputed area into undertaken by SAF in and around distinctly reluctant to do so. (The cre- the key focus of most of Council meet- Abyei town, including the shelling of ation of a better enabling environment ings in Sudan. the UNMIS compound in Abyei. In for the DPP is seen by those mem- addition, the statement deplored the bers as essential, including: civil and Members received their first briefing unilateral dissolution of the Abyei political rights of participants such that about the unfolding events in Abyei administration and called for its re- they can exercise their views without from the Special Representative and establishment and for the Sudan gov- fear of retribution; freedom of speech head of UNMIS, Haile Menkerios, on ernment to halt its military operations and assembly to allow for open con- the evening of their arrival and were and withdraw immediately from Abyei. sultations; freedom of movement for kept abreast of events through subse- It also condemned the southern forc- participants and UNAMID; propor- quent briefings during their visit. es’ attack on the UNMIS convoy on tional participation among Darfurians; 19 May and referred to the attack as a freedom from harassment, arbitrary The next day, Sunday, 22 May, the breach of agreements and a criminal arrest and intimidation; and freedom Council delegation had been sched- act. from interference by the government uled to meet with Foreign Minister Ali or armed movements.) These for- Karti and Vice President Ali Osman Several elements of the Sudan pro- mulations were included in the final Taha. These meetings were cancelled gramme of the trip had to be revised communiqué despite initial resistance only shortly before they were expect- due to the cancelation of the Abyei from some of the PSC members to ed to take place. While it seems that part of the trip. Originally, the Council this language. there was already interest in reacting was supposed to meet, separately, speedily and firmly to the events in with representatives of the two main On Somalia, the key issue was the fi- Abyei, the sudden cancellation of the ethnic groups in the disputed area, the nancing for the AU Mission in Somalia high-level meetings may have rein- Misseriya and the Dinka. With Abyei (AMISOM) which the African side forced the need in Council members’ being overtaken and emptied of civil- would like to be fully covered through minds for a swift reaction. ian population, alternative locations UN assessed contributions and which needed to be found for the meetings several members of the Security The Council members took a proce- with the representatives of the two Council oppose on the grounds that durally unusual step of issuing a press groups, one in a north-controlled lo- the UN should not be fully funding an statement while away from New York. cation and one in the south, due to operation unless it has command over Briefly, there was also some discus- the tribes’ respective alliances. This it. Members of the PSC argued for the sion of having a presidential state- meeting with the Misseriya took place need of predictable, reliable and time- ment rather than a press statement. in Khartoum whereas representatives ly resources for AMISOM, including But this would have to be adopted in of the Dinka travelled to Wau in the reimbursement for contingent-owned a formal session of the Council and western part of the south, a location equipment. Members of the Security there is a complex Council procedure added to Council itinerary mainly for Council, while noting the recommen- for agreeing to meet away from head- the purpose of that meeting. dations in this respect of the PSC of quarters. (While article 28, paragraph 15 October 2010, stopped short of 3 of the UN Charter states that “the In Khartoum, other meetings included: willing to include any new commit- Security Council may hold meetings • a visit by some members to the ments in the communiqué. at such places other than the seat of Mayo camp near Khartoum for the Organization as in its judgment displaced Southerners whose in- The communiqué issued at the end of will best facilitate its work”, in practice habitants, mostly Dinka, shared the meeting was considerably longer there have only been a dozen or so their concerns related to the 9 July than the final documents from the pre- such meetings since 1946, with the secession of the south and the di- vious consultations and, also unlike last one held in Nairobi in 2004 and lemmas they face when deciding the previous documents, was mainly these meetings require consideration whether to stay up north or return focused on the four situation-specific by Council’s Standing Committee on to the south; issues. Meetings Away from Headquarters.) • a meeting with the deputy foreign Some Council members indicated minister (who stood in for the foreign Sudan that they would need to consult their minister) during which members of When the delegation left for Khartoum capitals on such a proposal. As this the Council were accompanied by

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Special Representative Menkerios the Intergovernmental Authority for of the statement, in particular regard- and UNMIS senior leadership; Development or IGAD, the relevant ing the possibility of holding a formal • a briefing by Special Representative subregional body that has played an Council meeting in order to adopt a Ibrahim Gambari and his senior ongoing role on Somalia; some 50 presidential statement. Russia, in par- staff on UNAMID; and representatives of Somali civil society ticular, apparently felt that this proce- • a meeting with former South African groups (many of them also based in dural step would create a precedent President Thabo Mbeki (who is en- Nairobi); and leaders from Puntland and because of that the delegation gaged in a number of Sudan-related and Galmudug. The longest and ap- would need to consult the capital. In mediation efforts). parently most intense meeting was order to come out with a statement in with the President, the Prime Minister, a timely fashion, members opted for In Juba, the future capital of South Transitional Federal Government min- a press statement instead. Publicly, Sudan, Council members spent sev- isters, the Speaker and members of the message from the Council mem- eral hours with President Salva Kiir the Transitional Federal Parliament bers was strong and united. During a and his top ministers during a meeting of Somalia. The Council members press briefing at the end of the stay followed by a working dinner hosted conveyed a clear and unanimous in Khartoum, co-leaders of the del- by the government. message of demand for the different egation, Russia’s Ambassador Vitaly leaders to stop their infighting, to focus Churkin and US Ambassador Susan On its last day in Sudan, prior to the on implementing reforms and to coop- Rice, were blunt in expressing their afternoon departure for Nairobi, some erate with the Special Representative condemnation of the violence in Abyei members of the Council flew to the vil- of the Secretary-General, among oth- and voiced members’ shared deep lage of Malau in Jonglei state where er issues. sense of frustration over the inability they watched a re-enactment of a cat- to meet with top Sudanese govern- tle rescue operation by the Livestock ment officials. Referring to the fact Protection Unit of the South Sudan Council Dynamics that the official reason for the last min- Police Service. (Cattle theft has been The dynamics among Council mem- ute cancelation of the Council’s meet- a centuries-old widespread phenom- bers during the mission seemed to ing with the Sudanese foreign minister enon in the area, in recent years how- vary slightly from location to location. was his illness, Amb. Churkin stated ever, it has become a serious threat to that the Council wished him a speedy stability and security in the state due to In Addis Ababa, in particular during and complete recovery. the prevalent presence of small arms the discussion of Libya, most PSC in the post-conflict period and a con- members were very outspoken in their In Nairobi, the Council members ap- siderable number of fatalities that re- criticism of the how Council resolu- parently stood firmly united behind the sult from cattle raids. UNMIS is helping tions 1970 and 1973 were implement- clear messages to the Somali transi- to train the Livestock Protection Units ed in practice, with some alleging that tional leadership, calling on its repre- in addressing this problem.) Later that NATO was “colonising” Africa and that sentatives to stop their infighting and day, they also toured the Jebel Kujur the law of the jungle had replaced the to refrain from taking unilateral deci- way station in Juba which is oper- international law. In response, appar- sions regarding their respective man- ated by UN High Commissioner for ently, some Council members who ab- dates. Members demanded that the Refugees to facilitate returns south of stained on the adoption of resolution Somali leaders focus instead on their displaced persons from the northern 1973, restated their reasons for doing tasks as outlined in the transitional part of the country. They also met with so and some also highlighted their agreements and that they immediate- representatives of the civil society and own concerns over the way events ly engage with Special Representative received a briefing by UNMIS staff on have unfolded in Libya since. But at Mahiga. Members of the Council also the planning for the follow on mission. least one of the abstaining members told the Somali leaders that unless apparently also defended the preroga- they improve their performance they tive of the Council with respect to any may lose the international support Somalia decisions on Libya. the Somali institutions are financed The Council delegation visited Nairobi through. Speaking during a private on 24-25 May for an evening and a In Sudan the delegation appeared meeting with the Somali leadership, full day of Somalia-focused meetings. united in their sense of deep con- several members of the Council ap- Members of the Council were briefed cern over the Abyei developments. parently reinforced each other in con- by the Special Representative Mahiga Members collectively were upset veying their demands. and UN Political Office for Somalia’s over the cancelled meetings with top senior staff. They had a working lunch Sudanese government officials. This with senior staff from the different resulted in a speedy decision to re- UN agencies and programmes work- spond with a strong condemnatory ing on Somalia out of Nairobi. They statement, though there were appar- also met with: representatives from ently differences regarding the format

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UN Documents occasion of the announcement the joint communiqué of the of the formal results of the 17 April 2008 meeting in New Security Council Southern Sudan referendum. York between the two councils. Resolutions • S/PRST/2010/21 (22 October • S/2007/421 (11 July 2007) 2010) reaffirmed Council com- was the report of the Security • S/RES/1978 (27 April 2011) re- mitment to strengthening its Council visit to Addis Ababa, newed UNMIS until 9 July 2011. partnership with the AU PSC. Accra, Abidjan, Khartoum • S/RES/1973 (17 March 2011) • S/PRST/2009/26 (26 October and Kinshasa containing the was a resolution on Libya 2009) reiterated the impor- joint communiqué from the adopted with ten votes and five tance of a more effective 16 June 2007 meeting. abstentions and authorised all strategic relationship be- • Security Council necessary measures—exclud- tween the UN and the AU, Press Statement ing an occupation force—to underlining the importance of • SC/10262 (22 May 2011) protect civilians in Libya and expediting the implementa- was issued in Khartoum enforce the arms embargo, im- tion of the UN-AU Ten-Year by the president of the posed a no-fly zone, strength- Capacity-Building Programme. Security Council on the ened the sanctions regime, and • S/PRST/2008/24 (24 situation in Abyei. established a panel of experts. June 2008) was a state- • S/RES/1970 (26 February 2011) ment on Abyei. referred the situation in Libya to the ICC, imposed an arms em- Letter bargo and targeted sanctions (assets freeze and travel ban). • S/2011/319 (18 May 2011) Other Relevant Facts • S/RES/1964 (22 December contained the terms of ref- 2010) renewed the authori- erence for the 19-26 May Members of the Security sation of AMISOM until 30 2011 mission to Africa. Council Delegation September 2011 and raised its troop level to 12,000. Communiqués from the • H.E. Mr Ivan Barbalić • S/RES/1935 (30 July 2010) consultative meetings (Bosnia & Herzegovina) renewed UNAMID. between the AU PSC and • H.E. Ms Maria Luiza • S/RES/1744 (20 February the Security Council Viotti (Brazil) 2007) authorised AMISOM. • Mr Tian Lin, Counsellor (China) • S/RES/1769 (31 July 2007) • Communiqué adopted at • H.E. Mr Néstor Osorio established UNAMID. the 21 May 2011 consulta- (Colombia) • S/RES/1590 (24 March tive meeting between the • H.E. Mr Gérard Araud (France) 2005) established UNMIS. members of the Security • H.E. Mr Nelson Messone Council and the AU PSC. (19-21 May) (Gabon) Security Council • S/2010/392 (9 July 2010)  Mr Michel Régis Presidential Statements was the communiqué is- Onanga Ndiaye, Minister sued after a consultative Counsellor (21-26 May) • S/PRST/2011/10 (11 May 2011) meeting at UN headquarters • H.E. Mr Peter Wittig (Germany) focused on the consultative with the AU PSC and top • H.E. Mr Hardeep process on post-transitional AU Commission officials. Singh Puri (India) arrangements for Somalia. • S/2009/303 (11 June 2009) • H.E. Mr Nawaf Salam • S/PRST/2011/8 (21 April 2011) was the report of the Council (Lebanon) was a statement on the situa- mission to the AU, Rwanda, • H.E. Mr Raff Bukun-Olu tion in southern Sudan, imple- the DRC and Liberia, which Wole Onemola (Nigeria) mentation of the CPA and the contained the communiqué of • H.E. Mr João Cabral (Portugal) situation in Darfur, including the 16 May 2009 from the con- • H.E. Mr Vitaly Churkin enabling environment for the sultative meeting between (Russian Federation) Darfur-based political process. the members of the Security • H.E. Mr Baso Sangqu • S/PRST/2011/6 (10 March Council and the AU Peace (South Africa) 2011) stressed the need and Security Council. • H.E. Mr Mark Lyall Grant (UK) for a comprehensive • S/2008/263 (18 April 2008) • H.E. Ms Susan Rice (US) strategy for Somalia. was a letter from the perma- • S/PRST/2011/3 (9 February nent representative of South 2011) was the statement is- Africa to the president of the sued by the Council on the Security Council containing

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