United Nations, May 1 : The Security Council adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for one year, until April 30, 2027, with a reduced troop ceiling.

Resolution 2820 won the support of 13 of the Security Council's 15 members, while China and Russia abstained.

Both China and Russia, in their explanations of the vote, expressed regret over the handling of the draft by the United States, the penholder on South Sudan. They said they supported extending UNMISS's mandate, but could not agree on the reduction in the troop ceiling and on the draft resolution's attempt to exert pressure on the South Sudanese government.

The resolution decides to reduce the troop ceiling from 17,000 to 12,500 personnel while maintaining the police ceiling at 2,101 personnel.

It also expresses the Security Council's readiness to consider further adjustments to UNMISS force levels and mandated tasks, based on security conditions on the ground and the transitional government's cooperation with the mission, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US apparently sought to streamline the missionâ??s mandate in line with its stated priorities. Although some Council members acknowledged the USâ?? rationale, divergences emerged over key issues, including the overall strategic direction of UNMISSâ?? mandate; the missionâ??s role in supporting the peace process in South Sudan; proposed reductions in the missionâ??s capacity, resources, and tasks; and the omission of language on thematic areas such as women, peace and security (WPS), climate change, and children and armed conflict (CAAC). It appears that the EU4 members coordinated closely and submitted joint comments, strongly advocating for their positions on these issues.

It seems that the initial draft text proposed by the US said that UNMISSâ?? mandate is aimed at preventing a return to civil war and the escalation of violence in South Sudan. It further noted that the Council will continually assess and review its support for the mission based on progress, or lack thereof, in the protection of civilians (PoC), the facilitation of humanitarian access, and improvements in the political and security environment by the parties to the conflict.

/IANS