UN-AU assessment team in Nyala, South Darfur
A joint UN-AU team has arrived at Nyala, capital of South Darfur, to assess Unamid’s performance. The team met with the acting governor of South Darfur state, Abdelrahman Hussein Gardud, on Monday. After the meeting, the head of the UN-AU team, Dr Margaret Carey, told reporters that the team will assess the performance of the peacekeeping mission in Darfur. Carey, former acting head of Unamid in 2010, said that the team will investigate accusations of the mission’s failure in protecting civilians in the war-torn region, and the alleged covering up of reports on crimes against civilians in Darfur. In addition, the team will study the mission’s exit strategy from Sudan. On 30 November, President Omar Al Bashir told Unamid to get prepared to leave Darfur, and develop a strategy to implement its exit in the upcoming months. Last week, Radio Dabanga reported that former Unamid spokesman Aicha Elbasri requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to form an “independent” inquiry commission into alleged cover-ups by Unamid of crimes against civilians in Darfur.She questioned the objectivity of a UN review team, composed of UN staff, and criticised its report in October. The UN team “was incapable of uncovering the truth about the gross misconduct and routine manipulation of the facts that have become the hallmarks of UNAMID and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO),”she stated in a letter to ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. Elbasri resigned from her post as spokesman in April 2013, accusing Unamid of intentionally covering up crimes against civilians and peacekeepers in Darfur. In April this year, she leaked a number of internal UN reports to the media to prove her accusations. File photo: Militiamen shooting at civilians near a Unamid team site. One was killed, and eight were injured. Unamid did not intervene, and later described the attack as a “cross-fire incident”. (Unamid) Related:Elbasri pushes ICC for probe into alleged Unamid cover-up (5 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) UN chief ‘deeply troubled’ by Darfur Mission’s silence (30 October 2014)Darfur Bar questions UN investigation team’s integrity (18 August 2014) Dossier: Sudan Leaks
A joint UN-AU team has arrived at Nyala, capital of South Darfur, to assess Unamid’s performance.
The team met with the acting governor of South Darfur state, Abdelrahman Hussein Gardud, on Monday. After the meeting, the head of the UN-AU team, Dr Margaret Carey, told reporters that the team will assess the performance of the peacekeeping mission in Darfur.
Carey, former acting head of Unamid in 2010, said that the team will investigate accusations of the mission’s failure in protecting civilians in the war-torn region, and the alleged covering up of reports on crimes against civilians in Darfur. In addition, the team will study the mission’s exit strategy from Sudan.
On 30 November, President Omar Al Bashir told Unamid to get prepared to leave Darfur, and develop a strategy to implement its exit in the upcoming months.
Last week, Radio Dabanga reported that former Unamid spokesman Aicha Elbasri requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to form an “independent” inquiry commission into alleged cover-ups by Unamid of crimes against civilians in Darfur.
She questioned the objectivity of a UN review team, composed of UN staff, and criticised its report in October. The UN team “was incapable of uncovering the truth about the gross misconduct and routine manipulation of the facts that have become the hallmarks of UNAMID and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO),”she stated in a letter to ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.
Elbasri resigned from her post as spokesman in April 2013, accusing Unamid of intentionally covering up crimes against civilians and peacekeepers in Darfur. In April this year, she leaked a number of internal UN reports to the media to prove her accusations.
File photo: Militiamen shooting at civilians near a Unamid team site. One was killed, and eight were injured. Unamid did not intervene, and later described the attack as a “cross-fire incident”. (Unamid)
Related:
Elbasri pushes ICC for probe into alleged Unamid cover-up (5 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)
UN chief ‘deeply troubled’ by Darfur Mission’s silence (30 October 2014)
Darfur Bar questions UN investigation team’s integrity (18 August 2014)
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