Chinese envoy calls for lifting of Sudan sanctions

United Nations | Xinhua | A Chinese envoy on Monday called for the lifting of sanctions against Sudan as soon as possible.

Following the withdrawal of the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s Darfur region, the Sudanese authorities have assumed the primary responsibility of protecting civilians. It is, therefore, urgent to strengthen its security capacity, said Dai Bing, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. “The arms embargo has negative impacts on Sudan’s security capacity-building. The Security Council should adjust the sanction measures timely in light of the changed situation.”

Security Council Resolution 2620 adopted last month requires the development of benchmarks for adjusting Sudan sanctions by Aug. 31 this year. China hopes that this requirement can be effectively implemented, he told the council.

It must be noted that unilateral sanctions are barriers to Sudan’s development. Unilateral sanctions often fail to solve problems, but may well create new troubles, worsening the food, energy, and economic crisis and harming Sudanese people’s livelihoods and causing new humanitarian consequences, said Dai.

He called on the relevant country to change course and try to treat other countries as equals and work together for win-win results.

Despite the recent challenges, the Sudanese political transition continues to move in the right direction. The international community should keep the necessary patience, do more things conducive to Sudan’s unity and stability, avoid manmade divisions, and help the country explore a development path that suits its national conditions, said Dai.

He called for efforts to advance the political process.

After the resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, the Sovereignty Council indicated that it would remain committed to forming a civilian government and completing all transitional tasks and would have dialogue with relevant political factions. The Sovereignty Council merits encouragement by the international community, he said.

In its good offices efforts, the international community should fully respect Sudan’s sovereignty and leadership, focus on facilitating dialogue among Sudanese parties to resolve differences, and should avoid taking sides, he said.

On March 22, Sudan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations wrote to the president of the Security Council, expressing concerns about the fact that the UN secretary-general’s report on Sudan fails to comprehensively and accurately reflect the situation in Sudan. It is hoped that the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) will focus on its core mandates and fully respect and give full attention to the views of the Sudanese authorities, said Dai.

The ways to realize democracy can be diverse. There’s no fixed model, and there shouldn’t be. The international community should support Sudan in exploring a development path that suits its national conditions and avoid imposing external solutions, he said.

It is important to relaunch Sudan’s economy, said Dai.

At present, high inflation, diminished employment opportunities and lower household incomes are all factors of instability to peace and security in Sudan. China welcomes the efforts of the Sudanese authorities to improve its economy. However, when the Sudanese people need help most, some countries and international organizations have decided to suspend international assistance, which is obviously not helpful, he said.

China calls on UNITAMS to actively mobilize economic and development assistance to Sudan in accordance with its mandate. China has always done its best to help with Sudan’s economic development, he said.

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Xinhua