PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
AU calls for continued int'l support for Darfur peace process
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - International support for the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is more critical than ever at this stage, as the peacekeeping mission is supporting implementation of the Doha peace deal, Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, said during a visit to Darfur.
The Deputy chair was Tuesday quoted as saying that the main challenges for UNAMID in the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur(DDPD) was to convince the international community of the need to continue to support the Mission to the levels required both financially and with all the types of personnel required -- ground personnel, civilian personnel, police and military, "because this is really sending people in harm’s way. You need to protect them adequately; you need to give them the right equipment to be able to carry out the mission effectively.”
A press release by the hybrid force said Professor Ibrahim Gambari, UNAMID’s head and Joint Special Representative (JSR), who received the deputy chairperson, made a similar call for the international community to act decisively and collectively to consolidate the political and humanitarian gains made since the signing of the DDPD, when he addressed the AU’s Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa last month.
Deputy Chairperson Mwencha said that equally important was the need to “secure the confidence of the stakeholders, particularly in the country, in which the mission is based. There has to be good will on the part of the government and the people to host such a mission and to facilitate such a mission.”
The Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) signed up to the DDPD in Doha on 14 July. The joint commission, at its inaugural meeting in Khartoum on 18 December, agreed to resolve disputes over the implementation of the DDPD.
Mwencha said he was "encouraged by reports showing a significant reduction in the level of violence which had made it possible for a steady number of displaced Darfuris returning to their homes.
“We signed a peace accord in Doha and we would like to see the commitment from all the parties concerned to continue to use that platform to bring about more peace, more reconciliation in Darfur,” he was quoted by the release as saying.
Mwencha began a two-day visit to Darfur on Tuesday, consulting with UNAMID leadership on enhancing the mission’s success.
“As you know, UNAMID is a hybrid mission co-sponsored by the UN and AU and for us as the AU, having this mission succeed is extremely important,” he said.
-0- PANA MO/BOS 20Dec2011
The Deputy chair was Tuesday quoted as saying that the main challenges for UNAMID in the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur(DDPD) was to convince the international community of the need to continue to support the Mission to the levels required both financially and with all the types of personnel required -- ground personnel, civilian personnel, police and military, "because this is really sending people in harm’s way. You need to protect them adequately; you need to give them the right equipment to be able to carry out the mission effectively.”
A press release by the hybrid force said Professor Ibrahim Gambari, UNAMID’s head and Joint Special Representative (JSR), who received the deputy chairperson, made a similar call for the international community to act decisively and collectively to consolidate the political and humanitarian gains made since the signing of the DDPD, when he addressed the AU’s Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa last month.
Deputy Chairperson Mwencha said that equally important was the need to “secure the confidence of the stakeholders, particularly in the country, in which the mission is based. There has to be good will on the part of the government and the people to host such a mission and to facilitate such a mission.”
The Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) signed up to the DDPD in Doha on 14 July. The joint commission, at its inaugural meeting in Khartoum on 18 December, agreed to resolve disputes over the implementation of the DDPD.
Mwencha said he was "encouraged by reports showing a significant reduction in the level of violence which had made it possible for a steady number of displaced Darfuris returning to their homes.
“We signed a peace accord in Doha and we would like to see the commitment from all the parties concerned to continue to use that platform to bring about more peace, more reconciliation in Darfur,” he was quoted by the release as saying.
Mwencha began a two-day visit to Darfur on Tuesday, consulting with UNAMID leadership on enhancing the mission’s success.
“As you know, UNAMID is a hybrid mission co-sponsored by the UN and AU and for us as the AU, having this mission succeed is extremely important,” he said.
-0- PANA MO/BOS 20Dec2011
