UN-African Union Mission in Darfur in final shutdown phase

Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, updated ambassadors connected advancement towards the mission’s closure and last liquidation, pursuing the extremity of its mandate past December aft 13 years protecting civilians uprooted by conflict. 

Nearly 6,000 troops and constabulary were repatriated from the Sudanese state up of the drawdown deadline of 30 June, and astir 1,200 civilian unit were separated from the mission.   

Expedited timelines achieved 

The UN General Assembly precocious approved astir $80 cardinal to enactment last closure nary aboriginal than 30 June 2022.   

Mr. Khare was successful Sudan earlier this month, wherever helium met with elder officials arsenic portion of efforts to guarantee advancement remains connected track. 

“All leaders shared their restitution astatine the palmy accomplishment of the expedited timelines and discussed ways to resoluteness outstanding issues related to the liquidation and wider modulation implications,” helium reported. 

Only a 360-strong Guard Unit remains astatine UNAMID to support unit moving connected the exit, and the remaining UN assets, though superior work for information rests with the Sudanese Government.

Remaining UN assets successful Darfur are being disposed of successful 2 phases, the archetypal of which is already underway.   

‘Enormous’ inventory list 

The ngo has truthful acold handed implicit immoderate $41 cardinal successful facilities and instrumentality to section authorities, but 10 of the 14 sites reportedly person suffered “varying degrees of demolition and theft”, which Mr. Khare called a large nonaccomplishment for section communities. 

“I enactment that though authorities person made commitments to analyse these incidents, assorted Sudanese interlocutors person nevertheless suggested that these events resulted from underlying tensions among groups locally, on with concerns, whether existent oregon perceived, surrounding equitable entree to the facilities and instrumentality that was handed over,” helium said. 

Mr. Khare pointed to the imaginable of properties specified arsenic the UNAMID logistics basal successful El Fasher.  Its galore assets see much than 1,000 self-contained lodging units, a infirmary facility, a powerfulness procreation and organisation network, a substance retention depot, and h2o retention and purification equipment.   

Hundreds of vehicles and different moveable spot are besides being stored there. 

Pure h2o for a million 

UNAMID besides presently holds capable sodium hypochlorite brackish to purify astir seven billion litres of water, capable to conscionable the drinking and cooking needs for 1 cardinal radical for a year. 

“It is captious that the Government of Sudan makes each effort to guarantee that this tremendous reserve of facilities and instrumentality is sustainably applied to nationalist imperatives for civilian use,” helium said. 

 Although immoderate $8 cardinal successful instrumentality has been transferred to different UN tract operations, oregon to a peacekeeping reserve successful Italy, Mr. Khare stressed that the bulk volition beryllium donated to the Sudanese authorities for civilian use. 

“To this end, during my caller sojourn to Sudan, I implored each authorities interlocutors to stress the contiguous improvement of a single, holistic donation plan, with input and statement from Government interlocutors astatine the nationalist and section levels,” helium said. 

Handover challenges

The UN intends to gradually handover the El Fasher tract to the authorities, starting successful November, a process that would pb to the phased simplification of the Guard Unit.  

“For each this to hap successful an orderly and speedy fashion, I indispensable rise the contented of the equipped movements that person stationed forces astir the El Fasher compound since the opening of June,” Mr. Khare told the Council. 

“After an archetypal play of disorder among these groups which led to the disruption of UNAMID movements, and, successful immoderate cases, harassment of United Nations unit and vendors, movements person for the astir portion proceeded arsenic needed successful the caller weeks.” 

However, helium said coordination and enactment among these groups is captious if the liquidation process is to proceed smoothly “for the semipermanent sustainable payment of Sudan and its people.”