United Nations: Sudan: Closest we have been to a return to civilian government - Security Council

Opening remarks by Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan and Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan, on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan at the Security Council, 9289th meeting.
The head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, said that Sudanese stakeholders “are closer than they have ever been to a settlement and the return to a civilian government.”
Addressing the Security Council today (20 Mar) on the situation in Sudan, Perthes said, “When I last briefed you on 8th of December, the Sudanese military and a broad range of civilian actors had just signed a political framework agreement.”
He continued, “This was a watershed moment and ushered into a new phase of the political process which aims to lead to a new transitional period.”
Perthes noted, “Today, we are the closest we have been to a solution, although challenges remain.”
The Special Representative said each consultation gathered hundreds of Sudanese women and men “most of them came from outside the capital, representing a broad social, professional, and political spectrum.”
He stressed, “even some who had earlier publicly rejected the political process joined these conferences or workshops.”
He added, “Things are moving fast. Yesterday, the military and civilian signatories met the Trilateral Mechanism, the Quad, and the European Union again, to confirm their commitment to the process and speak about the next steps.”
Perthes also noted that collective efforts from the international community “are needed now more than ever.”
Also briefing the Security Council, Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, said, “The transition government is committed to ensure the implementation of the updated matrix in line with its new timetables so as to create a strong momentum to iron out these final issues.”
He concluded, “Peace is the key issue in Sudan and it is the overarching priority of the state. It is the key for security issues and development questions in the country.”