Last UNAMID base in Central Darfur handed over

The governor of Central Darfur confirmed on Friday the handover of the last base of the joint UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in the state.

Governor Adeeb Abdelrahman stressed that the handover of the last site, the UNAMID headquarters in Zalingei took place as planned, noting that this site was handed to the University of Zalingei, explaining that the aim of handing over the site to the university is to help the university so that it can contribute to the peace project in the state.

He said that a great role awaits the Centre for Peace Studies of the University of Zalingei in order to advance the peace building process launched in Central Darfur in the past months.

In 2011, Sudan’s cabinet divided South Darfur into three states, keeping South Darfur with Nyala as its capital, and adding Central Darfur, with Zalingei as its capital, and East Darfur, with Ed Daein as its capital.

Central Darfur, which includes Jebel Marra, is one of the states most affected by the war in the Darfur region since 2003. The report Scorched Earth, Poisoned Air features satellite images, survivor testimonies, and photos to confirm the occurrence of “war crimes” in Sudan’s war-torn western region.

The delegation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) visiting Khartoum, yesterday discussed with Minister of Foreign Affairs Maryam El Sadig arrangements for the visit of ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to Darfur in June, before the end of her term.

UNAMID

UNAMID officially handed its Tawila base to the government of North Darfur on Tuesday. After the handover ceremony, the authorities in El Fasher confirmed that the mission's equipment and offices will be used in civil work.

UNAMID has been gradually handing over its bases since the UN decided to set December 31, 2020, as the final date of exit of the mission. It was deployed in Darfur in December 2007, with a mandate to protect the people of Darfur against hostilities. It has been the world’s second largest international peacekeeping force, after the force in Congo, with an annual budget of $1.35 billion and almost 20,000 troops.

The exit of the hybrid mission has stirred up many protests throughout the country as many fear that, with the mission leaving, security will decrease and violence and crime rates will go up.