Many of Sudan’s humanitarian and political problems remain unresolved, and there are serious threats to civilians in both North and South Sudan in the transitional months ahead. As the Council recalibrates its relationships with the two future countries, it should ensure women’s groups are consulted prior to reconfiguration; that women’s rights are fundamental to all planning and preparation for the reconfigured UN presence in the region; and that well-resourced gender expertise – including from within the two countries – is central to this configuration. Full cooperation should be extended to the Team of Experts (SCR 1888, OP 18), to help develop a rule of law system aimed at preventing sexual violence and ensuring full reparations for survivors. As the Council finalizes plans for the successor peacekeeping operation to the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), it should ensure protection of civilians as its top priority, and the necessary political support and resources to monitor and robustly respond to protection threats. Humanitarian access should be a key element of the mandate of any interim force(s), as is a continued UN presence in the North and the border areas, including at a minimum in Abyei, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. Specific recommendations for the Council include:

• Supporting the independent investigations of crimes of international human rights law and humanitarian law, in collaboration with the International Criminal Court;
• Pressuring both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) to cease violence in South Kordofan;
• Demanding that the Government of Sudan and the SAF guarantee access for the delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance to IDPs who have fled violence in South Kordofan.

South Sudan: A new state South Sudan will require international support and engagement. To that end, the Council should:

•  Encourage the Government of South Sudan to strengthen its obligations to uphold the human rights of its people, including through ratifying CEDAW without reservation, ensuring women’s participation in the drafting process, and enshrining women’s equal rights in the new constitution.
• Focus on SPLM/A reform, and renewed efforts at reconciliation and mediation.
•  Support coordinated efforts to protect civilians from the threat of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which disproportionately targets civilians. This requires coordinated international and regional efforts to offer civilians effective warning of and protection against attacks, as well as a focus on the long-term security needs in more remote areas.

Darfur: There must be an immediate end to the Government of Sudan’s access restrictions on UNAMID and humanitarian organizations operating in Darfur. Efforts should be increased to end the ongoing impunity for rape by security forces in the context of renewed fighting between government and rebels, and perpetrators should be brought to justice. The Council should support efforts for a comprehensive peace in Darfur, including by demanding an end to aerial bombardment, attacks against civilians, and the state of emergency in Darfur; and by demanding UNAMID has access to all areas in which civilians are in need of protection, and for UN agencies to regularly publish comprehensive data on the human rights and humanitarian situation.

Many of Sudan’s humanitarian and political problems remain unresolved, and there are serious threats to civilians in both North and South Sudan in the transitional months ahead. As the Council recalibrates its relationships with the two future countries, it should ensure women’s groups are consulted prior to reconfiguration; that women’s rights are fundamental to all planning and preparation for the reconfigured UN presence in the region; and that well-resourced gender expertise – including from within the two countries – is central to this configuration. Full cooperation should be extended to the Team of Experts (SCR 1888, OP 18), to help develop a rule of law system aimed at preventing sexual violence and ensuring full reparations for survivors. As the Council finalizes plans for the successor peacekeeping operation to the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), it should ensure protection of civilians as its top priority, and the necessary political support and resources to monitor and robustly respond to protection threats. Humanitarian access should be a key element of the mandate of any interim force(s), as is a continued UN presence in the North and the border areas, including at a minimum in Abyei, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. Specific recommendations for the Council include:

• Supporting the independent investigations of crimes of international human rights law and humanitarian law, in collaboration with the International Criminal Court;
• Pressuring both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) to cease violence in South Kordofan;
• Demanding that the Government of Sudan and the SAF guarantee access for the delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance to IDPs who have fled violence in South Kordofan.

South Sudan: A new state South Sudan will require international support and engagement. To that end, the Council should:

•  Encourage the Government of South Sudan to strengthen its obligations to uphold the human rights of its people, including through ratifying CEDAW without reservation, ensuring women’s participation in the drafting process, and enshrining women’s equal rights in the new constitution.
• Focus on SPLM/A reform, and renewed efforts at reconciliation and mediation.
•  Support coordinated efforts to protect civilians from the threat of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which disproportionately targets civilians. This requires coordinated international and regional efforts to offer civilians effective warning of and protection against attacks, as well as a focus on the long-term security needs in more remote areas.

Darfur: There must be an immediate end to the Government of Sudan’s access restrictions on UNAMID and humanitarian organizations operating in Darfur. Efforts should be increased to end the ongoing impunity for rape by security forces in the context of renewed fighting between government and rebels, and perpetrators should be brought to justice. The Council should support efforts for a comprehensive peace in Darfur, including by demanding an end to aerial bombardment, attacks against civilians, and the state of emergency in Darfur; and by demanding UNAMID has access to all areas in which civilians are in need of protection, and for UN agencies to regularly publish comprehensive data on the human rights and humanitarian situation.