African Union, UN meet with Sudan government on Darfur peacekeeping
March 31, 2009 (EL FASHER) – The Tripartite Committee on Darfur peacekeeping held its fifth meeting in El Fasher today as carjackings were reported in North and West Darfur.
The committee, formed by representatives from the Government of Sudan, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN), marked its fifth meeting by focusing on issues relating to UNAMID deployment that require further attention and follow-up, and ways of facilitating the work of UNAMID in Darfur, according to the peacekeeping mission in Darfur.
”The participants noted that the deployment of UNAMID military forces, including troops, officers and military observers, has reached 67 per cent as of the end of March,” remarked UNAMID.
Before the meeting, the delegations had paid a courtesy call on the governor of North Darfur, Othman Kibir, at his office in El Fasher, who expressed appreciation for the work of UNAMID. While in El Fasher, the joint delegation also visited the site of the new UNAMID headquarters.
In a new development, the Government of Sudan agreed at the meeting that UNAMID will have custody of the assets seized from the international aid organizations whose licences to operate in Sudan were revoked earlier this month until a final solution can be reached on the issue between the government and the NGOs. In the wake of the ICC indictment, security forces raided the humanitarian agencies for laptops, phones, and other documents and equipment.
Despite the positive tone on the high-level meeting as reported by UNAMID, carjackings continue across Darfur. On Monday, two UNAMID vehicles were carjacked in Zalingei, West Darfur by unknown armed men, a spokesperson stated. The two separate incidents were immediately reported to the Government of Sudan Police, who subsequently recovered the vehicles.
However, Radio Dabanga reported Monday on what would be a third carjacking that also occurred in Zalingei, against a UNICEF car. Attackers fired shotguns as they were carjacking, without injuring anyone, and took the car to an unknown location.
In addition, it was reported that an attempted carjacking on a UNAMID vehicle took place in El Fasher town on Sunday. The staff member managed to escape with the vehicle and returned safely to headquarters, said UNAMID.
The participants agreed the next Tripartite Committee meeting will be in Darfur in early June.
Lieutenant General Majzoub Al Badawi, Director of the National Technical Mechanism for Peacekeeping Operations in Darfur, led the government delegation. The AU Peace and Security Commissioner, Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra, and UN Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Susana Malcorra led their organizations’ respective delegations, while UNAMID was represented by AU-UN Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada.
(ST)