Sudan ‘fully prepared’ to counter Security Council over Unamid

The Sudanese government is “fully prepared” to deal with a possible rejection by the UN Security Council regarding the exit of Unamid from Darfur. In an interview with the Khartoum-based El Youm El Tali newspaper, published on Wednesday, Ambassador Abdallah El Azrag, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the government “has developed more than one scenario to deal with the situation, even if the UN Security Council issues a million resolutions about the continuation of Unamid”. The FA undersecretary noted that the “government’s position is supported by countries in the region and other, heavy weight member states in the Security Council”. He stressed that the hybrid UN-AU the peacekeeping mission entered the country with the consent of the government, and cannot continue without an extended consent. “The Sudanese government has its own methods to undermine the work of international organisations”, he said, hinting to the possibility of impeding the peacekeeping operation “in the way Eritrea did”.   According to El Azrag, the Unamid forces deployed in Darfur “are living in luxury”. “Stationed near the camps for the displaced, they are enjoying meals of smoked salmon, shrimps, and fresh milk, as if they were staying in a five-star hotel.” He also reiterated the government’s refusal to resume investigations into the reported mass rape by Sudanese army forces in the village of Tabit, North Darfur, on 31 November. File photo: Unamid troops patrolling at Kassab camp in Kutum locality, North Darfur (Albert González Farran/Unamid) Related:UN-AU assessment team in Nyala, South Darfur (10 December 2014)Unamid’s exit from Darfur supported by Russia, opposed by displaced, rebels (4 December 2014) Sudan’s Al Bashir rejects merging of peace talks, tells Unamid to leave (30 November 2014) Denial of Darfur rape case by Unamid shocks Tabit victims (11 November 2014) Commander admits to mass rape by soldiers in North Darfur (3 November 2014)