AU force presence encourages Darfur displaced to return home

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Mar 20, 2005 (PANA) — The presence of the African Union (AU) monitoring mission in Sudan has encouraged certain local communities in the country’s war-torn western Darfur region, especially in Tine and Labado to return to their homes, the continental body’s assessment mission reported here Saturday.

A Rwandan soldier operating under the Africa Union mandate plays with children outside the AU base in Kab Kabiya, north west of El-Fasher, Sudan..

“The recent arrival of AU civilian police in a number of camps hosting internally displaced persons has also encouraged the local population to resume their normal activities without fear of harassment,” says an AU press release issued here Saturday after a weeklong tour by a high level team in Darfur.

Two rebel movements, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) resorted to arms in February 2003 to press Khartoum to allocate more wealth to their remote area.

According to the release, the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) was
doing their utmost within limited resources to carry out military assignments to monitor compliance with N’djamena Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement signed by the belligerents on 8 April 2004.

“Constraints, challenges and opportunities facing the AU troops were reviewed for comprehensive recommendations to enhance the performance of African Mission in Sudan,” the release affirmed.

The visit to Darfur was recommended in a resolution adopted by the 17th session of the AU Peace and Security Council on 20 October 2004, which urged the African Union Commission to report regularly on the situation in Darfur and on the operations and activities of its mission.

AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Council, Ambassador Said Djinit, led the assessment team, which left Khartoum for Darfur on 11 March.

The head of AMIS, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, ANIS Force
Commander, Major General Festus Okonkwo, as well as
representatives of AU partners accompanied Djinit.

The assessment team visited all the eight AMIS military sectors with headquarters at El Fasher, Nyala, El Geneina, Kabkabiya, Tine, Zalingei, El Daien and Kutum.

It also met with SLA and JEM representatives and field commanders as well as senior Sudanese officers in the Western Command area.

“The meetings focused on strengthening further cooperation
between the AU and the Sudanese parties and how to pave way for an early resumption of Abuja peace talks,” the release said.

An estimated 180,000 have reportedly died of various causes since The outbreak of the conflict in Darfur, which has displaced more than 1.6 million people internally and forced close to 200,000 other into exile in Chad.