African Union assesses security situation in Darfur
May 8, 2018 (EL-FASHER) – A high-level delegation of the African Union Peace and Security Council has started a two-day visit to Darfur, the hybrid peacekeeping mission said Tuesday.
Headed by Ambassador Hope Tumukunde, of Rwanda the team visits Darfur to assess the security situation.
The Rwandan diplomat discussed the security situation with the Deputy Governor of North Darfur, Mohammad Brima Hasab Al-Nabi.
“The mission had talks with government officials, UNAMID leadership, representatives of displaced persons and visited Sortony, in North Darfur,” she said after the meeting.
UN reports point to the relative security situation in the region after the weapon collection operations conducted by the Sudanese government in the region.
However, holdout armed groups say the government armed militias continue to carry out attacks on their positions in Jebel Marra and displaced thousands of villagers from their home areas.
But the government minimises the military activities speaking about security operations to clear some areas from armed bands looting buses and commercial convoys.
For its part, the UNOCHA in its news bulletin covering April, spokes only about inter-communal clashes in Jebel Marra area saying some 11, 500 civilians fled their areas to displacement camps.
In a related development, Burima briefed a delegation of western diplomats visiting El-Fasher on Tuesday about the security situation and the government efforts restore security and to combat human trafficking across the north-western border of the state to Libya.
“There was no longer a need for UNAMID to remain in the (North Darfur) state under its old mandate,” Brima governor told the visiting ambassadors of France, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Sweden according to a release issued after the meeting on Tuesday.
He further urged the diplomats to request their countries to support the peace process and stability in Darfur through the recovery and development program implemented by UN agencies and organizations.
(ST)