Statement by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, at the UNSC briefing on the situation in South Sudan and the activities of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) - December 14th, 2023

Thank you, Mr. President.

I thank Special Representative Nicholas Haysom and Ambassador Michel Biang for their comprehensive briefings. I welcome the South Sudanese delegation to the meeting.

Mr. President,

Brazil remains concerned that the conflict in Sudan continues to affect the situation in South Sudan. The considerable influx of refugees and returnees has exerted additional strains on already scarce resources, particularly in Upper Nile, Unity, Jonglei and Central Equatoria. Reduced commodity supplies due to the hostilities in Sudan have raised market prices almost everywhere
in South Sudan.

As co-focal points with Switzerland for Council’s Resolution 2417, we thank the UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator for recently raising awareness on the extremely concerning food insecurity situation in South Sudan. We hope that the collaboration between her office and the Security Council can be intensified.

We hope the latest efforts towards ending the conflict in Sudan also bear fruit for the people of South Sudan. We welcome the outcomes of IGAD’s Extraordinary Summit held last Saturday in Djibouti. We commend the bloc’s leadership and the African Union for also securing a ceasefire between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. This should contribute to the easing of the dire situation in the whole region.

Mr. President, 

We regret that the implementation of South Sudan’s

Roadmap remains slow. We worry about the lack of agreement on several issues that directly affect the organization of elections in December 2024. We echo the concerns shared by the Secretary General, the African Union Peace and Security Council, the African Union High-Level Ad Hoc Committee on South Sudan and IGAD. Institutional and legislative gaps in the election preparations increase the risk of relapse into violence in parts of South Sudan.

We call on the parties to the Revitalized Agreement to decide which conditions are necessary for holding free, fair and credible elections. We also urge South Sudan’s transitional government to streamline the measures endorsed by the United Nations, the African Union and IGAD as steps for credible, peaceful and inclusive elections. We call on the stakeholders to build upon the momentum generated by the adoption of the National Elections Act and by the appointment of members for the Political Parties Council, the National Constitutional Review Commission and the Elections Commission, to pave the way forward.

Mr. President,

I take this last meeting on the situation in South Sudan during Brazil’s current Security Council term to thank Special Representative Haysom, the UNMISS leadership and personnel, and the troop- and police-contributing countries for their tireless work.

We also resonate with the Secretary-General’s call for the international community not to divert their engagement away from South Sudan. A stable conclusion to the transitional period will bolster many hard-fought gains for the South Sudanese society, such as decreasing levels of violence and greater participation of women in politics and reconciliation processes. South Sudan’s commitment to peacebuilding, coupled with  continuous support from the international community, will be critical to achieving lasting peace and stability in the country.
Thank you.