UN humanitarian chief to visit Sudan, Chad

March 20, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — New UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes will begin a two-week mission to Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) on Thursday, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) announced on Tuesday.

During his stay in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, the UN official is expected to have meetings with the country’s senior officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) , civil societies and donor countries in Khartoum.

He will then travel to Juba, the capital city of southern Sudan, where he will meet with local officials and UN staff.

After that, Holmes will travel to various locations in Darfur, where he plans to meet with representatives of internally displaced persons (IDP), local officials and officials of the African Union Mission in Sudan, the UNMIS and NGOs working in Darfur and representatives of donor countries.

He will then travel to eastern Chad, where he is scheduled to visit a refugee camp and IDP settlement, before moving to the capital N’Djamena.

He will then go to northern Central African Republic for meetings with members of communities affected by civil conflicts.

In the CAR capital, Bangui, he plans to hold meetings with senior government officials and representatives of the UN political mission, the UN country team, NGOs and donors.

On his return to New York, Holmes will brief the Security Council on his mission.

Last week, the UN Human Rights Council failed to adopt a report drafted by the council-appointed mission led by Nobel laureate Jody Williams on human rights abuses in Darfur.

The Sudanese government has also rejected a request by the International Criminal Court in the Hague to hand over two war crimes suspects to stand trial.

(Xinhua)