Security Council supports UN presence in Sudan: council president

UNITED NATIONS -- The Security Council supports the continued presence of the United Nations in Sudan and is expected to renew the mandate of the UN mission in the country, said Lana Zaki Nusseibeh in her capacity as Security Council president.

In Wednesday's closed-door consultations on the situation in Sudan, there was strong support among Security Council members for the work of the United Nations in Sudan, said Nusseibeh, the permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the United Nations, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of June.

"What I can say is that, what came out of the meeting was a very strong commitment from council members to the essential work of the United Nations on the ground in this crisis. I think that was incredibly clear," she told a press conference on her country's assumption of the Security Council presidency.

"In terms of the meeting, there was support for UNITAMS (UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan) and support for the UN presence on the ground in Sudan to help with the neighboring country situation, but also to help on the ground in Sudan," she said.

The Security Council is expected to extend the mandate of UNITAMS, which expires on Saturday, said Nusseibeh.

The issue is currently under discussion. As president of the Security Council, the UAE is prepared to schedule a meeting to vote on the extension of the mandate of UNITAMS, she said.

Nusseibeh said that she did not want to prejudge the final outcome, but that an extension is expected as there is a lot of support in the council for that.

It is critical to find a way to halt the hostilities and encourage a return to dialogue. Regional and international leaders have been working around the clock to try and de-escalate the crisis since the outbreak of violence in mid-April, she said.

The situation in Sudan is dire as 1.4 million people have been internally displaced and the numbers of refugees going to neighboring countries are high. The international system needs to come together to help support peace and stability in Sudan and regional efforts must be supported, she said.

After a rare presence at closed-door consultations of the Security Council on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he reaffirmed to the council his full confidence in Volker Perthes as his special representative for Sudan.

Guterres received a letter on Friday from Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, in which Guterres was reportedly asked to replace Perthes, who also heads UNITAMS.

"It is up to the Security Council to decide whether the Security Council supports the continuation of the mission for another period or whether the Security Council decides that it is time to end it," Guterres told reporters on Wednesday.