I. Introduction
1. The present end-of-mandate report is submitted pursuant to paragraph 11 of Security Council resolution 1590 (2005), in which the Council requested that it be kept regularly informed of progress in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in the Sudan.
The report provides an assessment of the overall situation in the country since my previous report, dated 19 January 2010 (S/2010/31), as well as an update on the activities of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) through 20 March 2010. In accordance with the Council’s request, this report includes specific updates on the implementation of the Mission’s protection of civilians strategy, contingency planning arrangements of the Mission in the lead up to the referenda, and initial steps taken to plan for UNMIS’s postreferendum role in the Sudan.
II. Political developments
2. During the reporting period, preparations for the forthcoming elections dominated the political scene in the Sudan. While the parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement made important progress in the implementation of the Agreement, particularly in regard to the national elections scheduled for 11 to 13 April 2010, much remains to be done to prepare for the referenda scheduled for January 2011. 3. On 21 February 2010, the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) members of the Presidency of the Government of National Unity reached an agreement resolving a number of outstanding election-related disputes, particularly related to the 2008 census.
The agreement provided that SPLM would drop its objections to the national census results, in return for allocation of an additional 40 seats for the south in the National Assembly. These seats are to be filled by appointment of the Presidency with the endorsement of the National Assembly, on a proportional representation basis after the elections. It was also agreed by the Presidency of the Government of National Unity that State-level elections in Southern Kordofan would be postponed to allow for a new census and the reallocation of State constituencies, while the State would receive an additional four seats in the National Assembly. Under this agreement, Abyei would receive an additional two seats in the National Assembly,
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