Sudan closes UNAMID human rights office
November 26, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan ordered this week the closure of a human rights office of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), saying it contradicts the mandate of the operation and incompatible with the agreement signed the Sudanese government.
UNAMID further says that one of the main objectives of this section is to “assists in combating violence against women and continues providing support to the state committees for combating violence against women in the implementation of their action plans”.
Following media reports about mass rape in North Darfur, the Sudanese security service barred a UNAMID patrol that attempted to investigate the sexual abuse in Tabit without the required authorisation.
The UNAMID confirmed they received a demand to shut their human rights in Khartoum on 23 November.
The Sudanese foreign ministry, on the other side, stressed that this move should be considered as new step against the peacekeeping mission after the recent tension over a statement the mission released related to the mass rape.
“This step is not an escalation on our part or a restriction because of the spreading of false allegations about a mass rape in Tabit, Darfur, but we are trying to return … UNAMID to its mandate,” said foreign ministry undersecretary Abdallah al-Azraq in statement to Reuters.
Sudan announced on Friday that he had asked UNAMID to prepare an exit strategy.
The government also refused to allow the mission to conduct a second visit to Tabit to carry out further investigations about the claims of mass rape in the North Darfur village.
The Sudanese MPs on Tuesday criticised the joint mission for echoing reports mass rape aired by Radio Dabanga which seen in Khartoum as “hostile media” and backed the government decision to end the presence of UNAMID in Darfur.
The deputy speaker, Samia Ahmed Mohamed, called for reconsidering the work of the mission, saying that reports about mass rape in Tabit were nothing but “media lies”.
(ST)