United Nations Security Council Resolution 2677 – Reports of the Secretary-General on the Sudan and South Sudan (UNMISS)

Resolution 2677 (2023)

The Security Council,

Recalling its previous resolutions, statements of its President, and press statements concerning the situation in South Sudan,

Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of the Republic of South Sudan, and recalling the importance of the principles of non-interference, good-neighbourliness, and regional cooperation,

Affirming its support for the 2018 “Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan” (the Revitalised Agreement),

Stressing that the peace process only remains viable with the full commitment by all parties, and urging the full implementation without delay of the Revitalised Agreement and of the Agreement on the Roadmap to a Peaceful and Democratic end of the Transition Period of the R-ARCSS, noting with concern the delayed implementation of the Revitalised Agreement, which necessitated a further two -year extension of the transitional political arrangements,

Welcoming that some progress was achieved in the implementation of the priority measures defined in paragraph 9 of resolution 2625 (2022), including continued security provided to re-designated protection of civilian sites, initiation ofa permanent constitution-making process, ensuring better freedom of movement of UNMISS and the graduation of a first phase of the necessary unified forces,

Expressing deep concern over the continued intensification of all forms of violence prolonging the political, security, economic, and humanitarian crisis in most parts of the country, condemning the mobilization of armed groups by parties to the conflict and encouragement of defections, including by members of the government forces and armed opposition groups, and further recognizing that intercommunal violence in South Sudan is politically and economically linked to national-level violence and corruption undertaken by South Sudan’s previous civil war actors in the capital, and encouraging UNMISS to continue to support and protect community-led peace dialogue processes, in coordination with South Sudanese authorities, in order to strengthen local community engagement, empowerment, and national reconciliation,

Recognizing the Secretary-General’s report from 22 February 2023 (S/2023/135), requesting the Government and parties to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access along the Nile River corridor which will enable the delivery of services to the most vulnerable persons, in which the Secretary-General urged that the corridor is given adequate consideration for its potential to contribute to economic and social development of South Sudan and recommended that in this endeavor UNMISS should provide the required support as needed,

Expressing appreciation for the leadership of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in advancing the peace process for South Sudan and welcoming the commitment and efforts of IGAD and its member states, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), the African Union (AU), including the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), the United Nations (UN), and countries in the region to continue engaging with South Sudanese leaders to address the current crisis, and encouraging their continued and proactive engagement,

Welcoming the resumption of the facilitation of political dialogue by the Community of Sant’Egidio between signatories and non-signatories of the Revitalised Agreement and encouraging all parties to continue their efforts to peacefully resolve disputes in order to achieve an inclusive and sustainable peace,

Encouraging the Government of South Sudan to continue engaging with the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) to enhance international support for South Sudan’s peacebuilding objectives,

Stressing the need for the rapid and transparent assessment of violations by the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), encouraging IGAD to take action on the reports and share the reports with the Security Council rapidly, and noting that the African Union, IGAD, and the United Nations Security Council demanded that parties that violate the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians, and Humanitarian Access (the ACOH) must be held accountable, appealing to member states for political, logistical and financial support for the RJMEC and the CTSAMVM to enhance their operational capabilities and enhanced diplomatic engagement from RJMEC member states with the government to press for action to hold those accountable when violations are documented,

Expressing grave concern at ongoing reports of sexual and gender-based violence, including the findings of the report of the Secretary-General on Children and armed conflict in South Sudan (S/2023/99) and on Conflict Related Sexual Violence to the Security Council (S/2022/272) of the use of sexual and gender-based violence as a tactic by parties to the conflict against the civilian population in South Sudan, including use of rape and sexual slavery for the purpose of intimidation and punishment, based on perceived political affiliation, and employed as part of a strategy targeting members of ethnic groups, and where sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls has persisted after the signing of the Revitalised Agreement, as documented in the March 2022 report published by UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS) on “Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against women and girls in South Sudan”, noting that some progress was observed by South Sudanese parties through implementation of action plans to address sexual violence in conflict, and underlining the urgency and importance of timely investigations to support accountability and the provision of assistance and protection to survivors and victims of sexual and gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence,

Expressing serious and urgent concern over the more than 2.2 million internally displaced persons and ongoing humanitarian crisis, 9.4 million in need of humanitarian assistance according to the 2023 South Sudan Humanitarian Snapshot, and the estimated 7.7 million people who faced severe food insecurity in mid -2022 and likely famine in some areas, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme, recalling its resolution 2417 (2018) that recognizes the need to break the vicious cycle among armed conflict, displacement, and food insecurity, condemning the unlawful denial of access by humanitarian personnel to civilians in armed conflict and underlining that the use of starvation of ci vilians as a method of warfare may constitute a war crime, strongly condemning all attacks against humanitarian personnel and facilities that resulted in the deaths of nine personnel in 2022 and five personnel since January 2023, further condemning obstructions by all parties of civilians and humanitarian actors seeking to reach civilians in need of assistance, expressing grave concern at the imposition of taxes and illegal fees which hamper the delivery of humanitarian assistance across the country, and commending United Nations humanitarian agencies, partners, and donors for their efforts to provide urgent and coordinated support to the population,

Strongly condemning all human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law by all parties, including armed groups and national security forces, as well as the incitement to commit such abuses and violations, including those in Tambura, Western Equatoria State, and recently Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile States, further condemning severe restrictions of freedoms of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly and association, and the harassment, targeting, and censorship of UNMISS and civil society, as well as journalists, human rights defenders, humanitarian personnel, and media correspondents, and strongly encouraging all parties to create a safe and enabling environment for those groups, and further emphasizing that South Sudan’s government bears the primary responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic c leansing, and crimes against humanity, and expressing concern that despite the signing of the Revitalised Agreement, violations and abuses including those involving sexual and gender-based violence continue to occur, which may amount to international crime s, including war crimes and crimes against humanity,

Reiterating the urgent need to end impunity in South Sudan and to bring to justice all those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights, expressing serious concern over the delays in the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms called for in Chapter V of the Revitalised Agreement,

Stressing the importance of transitional justice measures included in Chapter V of the Revitalised Agreement, to end impunity and promote accountability, facilitate national reconciliation and healing, and ensure a sustainable peace, particularly those efforts undertaken by the UN-mandated Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, and in this regard, recognizing the operationalization of a Gender-Based Violence and Juvenile Court by the Judiciary of South Sudan, and the establishment of mobile courts to combat impunity including for intercommunal violence and human rights abuses and violations involving killings and rape, acknowledging the approval by the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) to establish transitional justice mechanisms, including the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, and further recognizing that the GoSS conducted nationwide consultations on the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing, encouraging it to continue to hold meaningful consultations with all stakeholders, including full, equal, and meaningful participation of women, and inclusion of youth, victims, persons with disabilities, and internally displaced persons (IDPs), and South Sudanese refugees, emphasizing its expectation that all credible reports of human rights violations and abuses will be duly considered by any transitional justice mechanisms for South Sudan including those established pursuant to the Revitalised Agreement, stressing the importance of ensuring accountability for IHL violations and expressing grave concern that according to credible reports, war crimes and crimes against humanity may have been committed, underlining the importance of collection and preservation of evidence for eventual use by the Hybrid Court for South Sudan and other accountability mechanisms, and encouraging efforts in this regard,

Underlining that any obstruction of UNMISS by any party is unacceptable, including restrictions on freedom of movement, assault of UNMISS personnel, and constraints on mission operations, including restrictions on patrols and UNMISS efforts to, inter alia, monitor the human rights situation,

Recalling its resolution 2117 (2013) and expressing grave concern at the threat to peace and security in South Sudan arising from the illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons, and further expressing concern that illicit trafficking and diversion of arms and related materiel of all types undermine the rule of law, and has the potential to undermine respect for international humanitarian law, can impede the provision of humanitarian assistance and have wide-ranging negative humanitarian and socioeconomic consequences,

Noting the measures adopted by the Security Council in resolution 2428 (2018)and renewed in 2471 (2019), 2521 (2020), 2577 (2021) and 2633 (2022) recalling that individuals or entities responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, directly or indirectly, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security or stability of South Sudan, may be designated for targeted sanctions, further recalling its willingness to impose targeted sanctions, and stressing the critical importance of effective implementation of the sanctions regime, including its travel ban measures, and the key role that neighboring states, as well as regional and subregional organizations, can play in this regard, encouraging efforts to further enhance cooperation, and reiterating its readiness to consider adjusting measures, including through modifying, suspending, lifting or strengthening measures to respond to the situation,

Emphasizing that persistent barriers to full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), and subsequent resolutions addressing women, peace, and security, including resolution 2242 (2015), will only be dismantled through dedicated commitment to gender equality, women’s empowerment, participation, and human rights, as well as concerted leadership, consistent information and action, and support, to facilitate women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in all levels of decision-making and leadership,

Acknowledging the significance of the GoSS’s ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and welcoming the extension of the Comprehensive Action Plan to End and Prevent All Grave Violations Against Children by the GoSS, and endorsement of Call to Action to Ensure the Rights and Wellbeing of Children Born of Sexual Violence in Conflict,

Welcoming that South Sudan acceded to four international conventions and passed into law the

(i) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol;

(ii) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

(iii) Protocol to The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol); and

(iv) International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,

Expressing serious concern about the dire situation of persons with disabilities in South Sudan, including abandonment, violence, and lack of access to basic services, and emphasizing the need to ensure that the particular needs of persons with disabilities are addressed in the humanitarian response,

Recognizing the adverse effects of climate change, ecological changes, land degradation, food insecurity, and natural disasters, among other factors, on the humanitarian situation and stability in South Sudan, calling on the government to engage with local communities to address these challenges, and emphasizing the need for comprehensive risk assessments and risk management strategies by the GoSS and the United Nations to inform programs relating to these factors, and acknowledging the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement,

Strongly urging the Government of South Sudan to coordinate with UNMISS and the Humanitarian Country Team to address the flood waters and lack of services such as water management, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in IDP sites, including at Bentiu,

Noting the United Nations Department of Operational Support’s Environment Strategy (phase II), which emphasises good stewardship of resources and a positive legacy of the mission, and identifies the goal of expanded renewable energy use in missions to enhance safety and security, save costs, offer efficiencies and benefit the mission,

Commending the work of UNMISS, and expressing its deep appreciation for the actions taken by UNMISS peacekeepers and troop- and police-contributing countries in implementing the UNMISS mandate in a challenging environment,

Recognizing the importance of strategic communications to peacekeeping operations, acknowledging that its efficient use is crucial to the effective implementation of UNMISS’ mandate, emphasizing the need to continue to improve UNMISS’ strategic communications capabilities in order to maintain the missio n’s ability to achieve its protection, political and humanitarian goals, and welcoming the commitment of the Secretary-General to mainstream strategic communications activities into both planning and day-to-day operational decisions of missions, including UNMISS, as stated in its Action for Peacekeeping Plus Plan,

Welcoming the commitment of the Secretary-General to enforce strictly his zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, noting the various measures taken by UNMISS and troop- and police-contributing countries to combat sexual exploitation and abuse, while expressing continued concern over allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse reportedly committed by peacekeepers and other UN personnel in South Sudan,

Taking note of the Secretary-General’s 15 July 2021 electoral needs assessment (S/2021/661), and also taking note of the Report of the Secretary-General of 25 February 2022 (S/2022/156), and further recognizing that free and fair elections necessitate that the GoSS fulfils its commitment to promptly execute key benchmarks for the constitutional process and create conditions for the protection of civic and political space, and ensuring the will of all South Sudanese voters and the full, equal and meaningful participation and inclusion of women, and meaningful and diverse inclusion of youth, persons with disabilities, South Sudanese citizens IDPs, South Sudanese refugees, as well as members of all political groups is critical for a transition toward a stable, inclusive, democratic, and self-reliant state,

Determining that the situation in South Sudan continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,

Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

Adopted by the Security Council at its 9281st meeting, on 15 March 2023.