Darfur group welcomes extension of UNAMID’s mandate for additional year
July 1, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM) led by Minni Minnawi has welcomed the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) resolution to extend the mandate of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) until 30 June 2017.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Thursday, SLM-MM external affairs official Ali Trio said the UNSC resolution to extend the mandate of UNAMID came against the desire of the Sudanese government which seeks to exit the mission from Darfur.
He accused the government of rushing to implement the mission’s exit strategy in order to continue its genocide campaign in the absence of the international community, describing the UNSC resolution as a “practical recognition” of the dire humanitarian situation in Darfur.
A tripartite working group including the Sudanese government, African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) has been set up in February 2015 to develop an exit strategy for the UNAMID from Darfur.
The SLM-MM renewed its call to expand the mandate of the UNAMID according to Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations and improve its logistics to effectively protect the lives of Darfur residents.
UNAMID 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.
The statement further demanded the international community to impose a no-fly zone in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile to stop the continued government aerial bombardment of civilian.
The Sudanese army has been fighting the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011 and a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.
(ST)