New UNAMID chief arrives in the Sudanese capital
April 1 2013 (KHARTOUM) –The new head of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) (UNMAID) arrived to the Sudanese capital Khartoum today, more than four months after his appointment by the UN chief and the chairperson of African Union commission.
On 20 December 2012, Mohamed Ibn Chambas; a Ghanaian diplomat and former president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), was formally appointed at the head of UNAMID and joint chief mediator after the departure of the controversial Ibrahim Gambari.
“I am happy to take up my duties in Darfur at a very crucial time”, Chambas said after his arrival to Khartoum on Monday. He is expected to meet this week with Sudanese officials in Khartoum and Darfur region, foreign diplomats and UN staff in Sudan including UNAMID leadership.
He pledged to diligently and tirelessly to accomplish the tasks assigned to UNAMID, and to advance the agenda of peace and stability in Darfur.
“Only an all-inclusive peace on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur can bring a lasting solution to the suffering of millions of men, women and children in this region,” he stressed.
The new UNAMID chief takes his office as Khartoum signed a second peace agreement, under the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur with a splinter group from the Justice and Equality Movement.
Also the normalisation process with the South Sudan is expected to push Juba to prevent the presence of rebel groups within its territory.
UNAMID deputy chief Aichatou Mindaoudou, assumed the leadership of the joint mission and brokered with Qatari state minister Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud the mediation of the peace talks with the former rebel JEM- Mohamed Bashar.
The hybrid mission is continuously criticised by the Sudanese parties, government and rebels. But last week the mission was attacked for the first time by Tijani Al-Sissi the chairperson of Darfur Regional Authority after the capture by a rebel group of 31 delegates who were heading to IDPs conference in Nyala.
The convoy of the IDPs representatives was under the protection of UNAMID soldiers.
Chambas has also to restore the image of the mission before the international community as the former UNAMID chief was accused of adopting a pro-Sudanese government policy.
(ST)