Please refer to the attached file.
Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1123rd meeting held on 30 November 2022, on Updated Briefing on the Situation in South Sudan.
The Peace and Security Council,
Recalling its previous decisions and pronouncements on the situation in South Sudan, particularly Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1092 (2022)] adopted at its 1092nd meeting held on 11 July 2022;
Reiterating the commitment of the AU as a guarantor of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (RARCSS), signed on 12 September 2018; and determined to ensure its successful implementation;
Reaffirming the solidarity of the AU with the people and the Government of the Republic of South Sudan in their legitimate aspirations to restore durable peace, security, stability and development in their country and, by extension, the wider Horn of Africa region and Africa as a whole;
Noting the introductory remarks by H.E. Ambassador Emilia Ndinelao Mkusa, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Namibia to the African Union (AU) and Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) for November 2022 and by H.E Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; as well as the briefing by the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for South Sudan and Head of AU Liaison Office in Juba, H.E. Ambassador Professor Joram Mukama Biswaro; also noting the statements by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Sudan to the AU, H.E. Ambassador James Morgan; as well as by Amb. Berhanu Kebede, RJMEC Chief of Staff on behalf of the Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), Major General (Rtd) Charles Gituai; and by H.E. Mr. Nicholas Haysom, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS); and
Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:
1. Commends H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan, for his political will and exemplary leadership and for pursuing political dialogue in the implementation of the peace process in South Sudan;
2. Also commends all signatories to the Revitalized Agreement for their political will and dedication to fully implement the Agreement; applauds them for forging a Roadmap on the Outstanding Issues in the implementation of the Agreement and urges them to continue with their mutual confidence and trust building measures and to work towards completing all outstanding transitional tasks within the stipulated timelines and not later than February 2025;
3. Welcomes the progress achieved thus far in the implementation of the R-ARCSS as a whole, particularly with regard to the reunification of forces and the graduation and deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces and, in this respect, strongly appeals for necessary support to facilitate the completion of the process;
4. Encourages the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) to expedite the reconstitution of all national and local level commissions and institutions as provided for in the Roadmap on Outstanding Issues so as to meet the final goals of conducting constitution-making and electoral processes by December 2024;
5. Calls upon the R-TGoNU to explore all possible avenues to provide the needed resources, including funding and food supplies, in order to facilitate the completion of the remaining graduation and deployment of Necessary Unified Forces;
6. Commends the AU Commission, UNMISS and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for its continued support to the people of South Sudan and encourages them to continue on this path;
7. Expresses deep appreciation to all neighbouring countries that are hosting refugees from South Sudan at own cost and appeals to the international community to support the efforts of these countries, in this regard;
8. Notes with deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in South Sudan, and, in this context, encourages the R-TGoNU, working in collaboration with the AU Commission and other relevant stakeholders, including the African Development Bank, the AU Development Agency-NEPAD, to redouble efforts in mobilizing humanitarian support with a view to complementing the efforts being deployed by the UN and international partners. In the same vein and pursuant to the Decision of the 15th Extraordinary AU Humanitarian Summit and Pledging Conference held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on 27 May 2022, Council requests the AU Commission to explore the possibility of accessing the Special Fund, in order to contribute towards addressing the prevailing humanitarian situation in South Sudan;
9. Requests the AU Commission to consider organizing an international pledging conference, in favour of South Sudan, in order to mobilize financial resources for the South Sudan Reconstruction Fund;
10. Encourages all parties to embrace dialogue as the only viable approach to end the current empasse and, in this regard, once again expresses deep appreciation to the Rome-based Sant’Egidio Community for its continued facilitation to the peace talks to find a consensual solution to their differences;
11. Expresses concern over continued cases of inter-communal violence in parts of the country, particularly in the Equatoria, Upper Nile, Jonglei and Unit States and, in this respect, strongly urges all concerned parties to embrace dialogue as the appropriate path towards consensual solutions to their differences;
12. Further requests the AU Commission to consider reactivating the AU High-Level Implementation Panel for Sudan and South Sudan (AUHIP) and the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) in order to assist the concerned parties in addressing the situation in Abyei;
13. Calls on the AU Ad-hoc High-Level Committee for South Sudan (C5) to fulfill the pledge to undertake a solidarity visit to South Sudan in support of the peace process as provided for in the Revitalized Peace Agreement and, in the same vein, also requests the AU Panel of the Wise to also undertake a similar visit to South Sudan and to brief Council on the findings of the visits;
14. Underscores the importance of Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Reconstruction Development programs with a view to achieving sustainable peace and stability in South Sudan, and, in this regard, reiterates the request for the AU PCRD Centre to prioritize South Sudan in its programmes;
15. Reiterates the decision in Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1(CMXVII)] adopted at its 917th meeting held on 9 April 2020 and, in this regard, requests the AU Commission, working in close collaboration with the IGAD Secretariat to expedite the post-conflict technical needs-assessment exercise for South Sudan;
16. Decides to undertake a solidarity visit to South Sudan on the third anniversary of the formation of the Transitional Government on 22 February 2023, with a view to encouraging the South Sudanese authorities and people to remain resolute in pursuing the transitional tasks outlined in the 2022 Roadmap on Outstanding Issues, with a view to concluding the political transition before 22 February 2025; and
17. Decide to remain actively seized of the matter.