Sudan asks UNAMID to pay compensation for deadly incident

May 12, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The government of South Darfur state said it demanded the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to pay 4,8 million pound (SDG) ($800,000) in compensation for the victims of the recent incident in Kass.

Four persons, according to UNAMID, or six people as claimed by Sudanese authorities were killed and five others were injured from the Zaghawa tribe by peacekeepers during clashes in South Darfur town of Kass last April.

The commissioner of the locality of Kass and member of the probe committee, Mohamed Ibrahim Omer, said the United Nations and the African Union have received their request to lift the immunity from the mission’s troops involved in the incident.

He pointed out that traditional administration would submit a request to the presidency within a couple of days to demand transfer of UNAMID camp from the area.

The commissioner told the pro-government Sudan Media Center (SMC) that the local investigation committee will soon submit its report to the state’s governor so that the federal committee formed by the justice ministry could launch its legal procedures.

He pointed out that UNAMID has yet to pay 4,8 million pounds (SDG) in compensation for the damage of property and blood money.

Both the United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki Moon, and the head of the of the African Union commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, underscored the peacekeepers have been attacked by the armed gunmen, saying they returned fire in self-defence.

The Sudanese government for its part accuses the mission of fabricating the incident in order to extend its presence in the region, saying it was nothing but an attempt to drive a wedge between the government and the African Union in order to make the latter refuse to sign the mission’s exit decision.

EFFORTS TO ACCELERATE UNAMID’S EXIT

Meanwhile, the Sudanese presidency has issued directives on Tuesday to put more efforts to implement UNAMID’s exit strategy from Darfur.

Sudan’s foreign minister, Ali Karti, briefed the first vice president, Bakri Hassan Salih, on Tuesday on the progress of the work of the committee tasked with the implementation of the exit strategy.

Salih instructed coordinating the work of the national committee, pointing to the need for further efforts to carry out the exit strategy according to what has been agreed upon between the government and the UN.

The first vice president also underscored the importance of the AU role in the implementation of the exit strategy.

Karti told reporters following his meeting with the Salih that the committee aims to achieve a complete exit of UNAMID from the country, pointing to ongoing consultations with the mission on the details of the exit strategy.

He noted the two sides agreed that government troops would assume responsibility for securing the region following exit of the peacekeepers, saying the national committee charged with the implementation of the strategy includes all the concerned parties.

The foreign minister added the two sides are currently developing common ideas and discussing the timeframe for completing the exit.

A tripartite committee including the Sudanese government, AU and UN has been set up last February to develop an exit strategy for the UNAMID from Darfur.

The mission has been deployed in Darfur since 2007 with a mandate to stem violence against civilians in the restive region.

It is the world’s second largest international peacekeeping force with an annual budget of $1.35 billion and almost 20,000 troops.

(ST)