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UNAMID officials continue tour of Darfur

August 8, 2008 (KHARTOUM) – A senior official from the United Nations – African Union (AU) Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) will visit the town of Nyala on Sunday to meet with the locals, NGO’s and a UN office in the region.

Gambian soldiers serving with the UNAMID stand on parade during celebrations marking the International Day for the United Nations Peacekeepers Day at a camp in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on May 29, 2008 (AFP)
Gambian soldiers serving with the UNAMID stand on parade during celebrations marking the International Day for the United Nations Peacekeepers Day at a camp in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on May 29, 2008 (AFP)
The Deputy Joint Special Representative of UNAMID Henry Anyidoho will be accompanied by representatives of other sections of the peacekeeping force.

UNAMID said in a statement that Nyala’s trip “is a part of a cycle of working visits undertaken by Anyidoho to various locations within the Mission area”.

The UNAMID official was in Tawila last week where he met with police commanders who stressed the need to engage the Government of Sudan authorities to deploy Regular Police personnel to the area, for the implementation of community policing activities.

The DJSR thanked the personnel for their dedication and commitment in the face of a challenging deployment and encouraged them to continue to do their best.

Anyidoho also visited Shangil Tobayi, the base of peacekeepers who were ambushed in early July. The attack left 7 peacekeepers dead and 22 wounded.

UN Security Council adopted resolution 1769 a year ago which authorized a hybrid UN-AU force (UNAMID) consisting of 26,000 troops and police but so far it only has only 9,000 personnel.

A lack of helicopters is one of the main problems facing the UN-AU mission in Sudan’s Darfur region. The UN has for months been seeking 6 attack and 18 transport helicopters to support the force but the countries asked for help have said they have none available.

The commander of the force general Martin Luther Agwai said in an article last week that “tactical helicopters that could have prevented the killings of our forces”.

International experts also say more than 300,000 were killed and 2 million have been driven from their homes by the conflict in Darfur, a region that is roughly the size of France.

(ST)

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