The United Nations and African Union have reiterated their commitment to lasting peace in Sudan as their joint peacekeeping mission in the country’s Darfur region ends on Thursday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Chairman of AU Commission, Moussa Mahamat, gave the assurance in a joint statement on Thursday.
The officials said their organisations were also committed to supporting implementation of Sudan’s National Plan of Action on Civilian Protection.
They appealed to all actors in the country to ensure the safe and orderly drawdown of the mission, known as the AU-UN Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), over the next six months.
UNAMID was established by the UN Security Council in 2007 in the heat of the bitter Darfur conflict to promote peace and security. Its mandate included protecting civilians and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those affected, while also protecting aid workers.
On Nov. 30, at the request of the Sudanese transitional government, the AU Peace and Security Council approved withdrawal of its peacekeepers under UNAMID from the country.
The UN Security Council followed suit on Dec. 22 with Resolution 2559 that also hands over responsibility for peace and security in the war-torn region to the Sudanese transitional government.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Sudan request was supported by China, Russia and African members of the UN Security Council.
The withdrawal of all UNAMID personnel and equipment would begin on Jan.1 and is expected to be completed by June 30.
In their statement, Guterres and Mahamat said that the establishment of the joint mission was a unique and historic undertaking.
Through UNAMID, the organisations, troop and police contributing countries and donors “have been engaged in collective efforts to protect civilians and help build peace in Darfur”, they observed.(NAN)
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