SUDAN NEWS ALERT: AP - UN moves toward ending UN-AU peacekeeping in Sudan’s Darfur,

4/6/2020: AP - UN moves toward ending UN-AU peacekeeping in Sudan’s Darfur, by Edith M. Lederer

 AP report that the UN Security Council voted unanimously to move toward ending the UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID), replacing it with a civilian mission focusing on Sudan’s democratic transition - the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

 UNITAMS’ mandate also includes: protecting and promoting human rights and sustainable peace, assisting the Sudanese government in “peace-building, civilian protection and rule of law, particularly in Darfur,” and supporting peace negotiations and their implementation.

 The UN resolution “recognized” improvements in Sudan’s security conditions, “while expressing concern that the security situation in some regions of Darfur remains precarious.”

 Supporting the African Union Peace and Security Council’s call “for extreme caution in the withdrawal of UNAMID,” the UN resolution also underscored: the need to protect peace-building gains in Darfur and “avoid a relapse into conflict,” with UNAMID withdrawal needing to “take into account the progress made in the peace process.”