SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: AP - UN divided on timing to end UN-AU peacekeeping in Darfur

9/12/2020: AP - UN divided on timing to end UN-AU peacekeeping in Darfur, by Edith M. Lederer

 AP report that UN Security Council members affirmed their commitment to end the hybrid UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), but were divided on the timing. Sudan, Russia, Niger, South Africa and Tunisia support the 31 December termination. 

However, Germany’s UN ambassador, Christoph Heusgen, cited the floods, poor harvest, COVID-19, reports of internal fights over control of gold mines, attacks against government forces, and low representation of women in transitional bodies to emphasise the risks of UNAMID’s withdrawal.

Jose Singer, the Dominican Republic’s UN ambassador, said he was reminded of what happened in neighbouring Haiti after “the premature withdrawal” of UN peacekeepers, a reference to the ongoing insecurity in the country. Estonia’s UN ambassador, Sven Jurgenson, said “rushing the withdrawal risks losing the significant gains made by UNAMID over the years”.

UK’s UN ambassador Barbara Woodward called for the transition from UNAMID to UNITAMS, a political mission, to be “responsible, sequenced and sustainable.”