Sudan asks UNMIS to prepare for departure from North
May 16, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is closing down its offices and relocating from North to South Sudan following a request by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) that the peacekeeping mission end its mandate, a pro-government website reported on Monday.
The last stage of the CPA was completed this year with the conduct of South Sudan referendum in which Southerners were asked to pick between establishing their own state or remaining united with the North.
The vote came overwhelmingly in favor of secession and a new state will officially see the light on July 9th.
In late April, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) voted unanimously to extend UNMIS mandate until July 9th. Furthermore, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was asked to present a report indicating the post-independence options for the UN presence.
The government sponsored Sudanese Media Center (SMC) website said the mission began transferring its equipment from northern Sudan to Juba including all sectors of UNMIS property in Kadugli, Damazin and Port Sudan, Khartoum and El-Obayid.
It quoted diplomatic sources as saying that five months ago the mission were asked to evacuate from the North in line with Sudan’s right as a host state under international law. Khartoum warned that it will lift UNMIS immunity after July 9th if it feels any foot dragging on the part of the mission in implementing the directive.
The NCP’s political secretary Qutbi Al-Mahdi had stressed in press statements today that UNMIS’s mandate is over.
Tension between the North and South has escalated particularly on the border region and even resulted in deadly clashes such as the ones in the disputed oil-rich district of Abyei. There are also fears of similar incidents following election results in South Kordofan which was rejected by SPLM.
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Santos U.
Sudan asks UNMIS to prepare for departure from North
Who is this NCP’s political secretary Qutbi Al-Mahdi? Please Qutbi? If you don’t know, UNMIS was mandated by The Security Council, by its resolution 1590 (2005)of 24 March 2005, decided to establish the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) to support implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army on 9 January 2005; and to perform certain functions relating to humanitarian assistance, and protection and promotion of human rights not how you NCP violate the human rights system in Sudan.
UNMIS remains on the ground to provide good offices and political support to the parties, monitor and verify their security arrangements and offer assistance in a number of areas, including governance, recovery and development and not of rigging and torturing people since this NCP took power in 1989.