| UN Security Council Resolution 2138 | |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 February 2014 |
| Meeting no. | 7111 |
| Code | S/RES/2138 (Document) |
Voting summary | 15 voted for None voted against None abstained |
| Result | Adopted |
| Security Council composition | |
Permanent members | |
Non-permanent members | |
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2138, adopted on 13 February 2014, extended the mandate of the Sudan Sanctions Committee and requesting the committee's panel of experts provide a final report on its findings by January 2015. It noted with regret that armed groups in Darfur persisted in committing violence against civilians, and described an intention to impose further targeted sanctions against those responsible. [1]
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. Dar is an Arabic word meaning home of - the region was named Dardaju while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë c. 350 AD, and it was then renamed Dartunjur when the Tunjur ruled the area. Darfur was an independent sultanate for several hundred years, incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into five federal states: Central Darfur, East Darfur, North Darfur, South Darfur and West Darfur. Because of the war in Darfur between Sudanese government forces and the indigenous population, the region has been in a state of humanitarian emergency since 2003.
The War in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War, is a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups began fighting the government of Sudan, which they accused of oppressing Darfur's non-Arab population. The government responded to attacks by carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Darfur's non-Arabs. This resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the indictment of Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
The resolution was adopted unanimously under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. It expressed concern over the supply to Sudan of technical assistance and financial support that could be used to support the Sudanese military in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1556 and 1591, and called on Sudan to end the accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons in Darfur. Furthermore, the resolution instructed the Sanctions Committee to address violations of the sanctions regime, noting that some states were not in compliance with the travel bans and assets freezes prescribed by resolutions 1556 and 1591.
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace and security".
United Nations Security Council resolution 1556, adopted on 30 July 2004, after recalling resolutions 1502 (2003) and 1547 (2004) on the situation in Sudan, the Council demanded that the Sudanese government disarm the Janjaweed militia and bring to justice those who had committed violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Darfur.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1591, adopted on 29 March 2005, after recalling resolutions 1547 (2004), 1556 (2004), 1564 (2004), 1574 (2004), 1585 (2005), 1588 (2005) and 1590 (2005) on the situation in Sudan, the Council placed a travel ban and asset freeze on those "impeding the peace process" in Darfur.
