Unamid hands over peace, administration centres in Darfur

Unamid presented two centres to local authorities in the capitals of North and East Darfur this week, in an attempt to strengthen the capacity of Darfur’s native administrations.

The construction of the buildings was part of the peacekeeping mission’s Quick Impact Projects. On Sunday, the mission’s Civil Affairs Section handed over a complex consisting of a meeting hall, two offices and a latrine, to the native administration’s executive office in El Fasher, North Darfur. The Sector East of the section presented a peace centre to the Ma’aliya tribe’s native administration in Abu Karinka, East Darfur.

The Central Darfur Section also handed over four classrooms and one office to Zugo Damra basic school, 15 kilometres north of Zalingei, on 22 March.

(Photo by Sidig Mohamed/Unamid)

The Quick Impact Projects are designed to support the local population and cultivate the culture of peace through mediation, consultation, and negotiations, the mission stated.

El Fasher’s native administration “plays an important role in building social peace and addressing inter-communal conflicts in Darfur”, said the Chief of Unamid’s Civil Affairs Section Guang Cong at the handover of the new native administration house on Sunday.

Cong said that the mission and the native administration have made joint efforts to support mediation and reconciliation of inter-communal conflicts across Darfur. “As part of the Mission’s mandate, Unamid, jointly with the native administration, have supported initiatives to reinforce peaceful relationships among farmers and herders in Darfur.”

The event was attended by government officials, representatives of the legislative council, government military and police, members of the native administration and Unamid staff. State Governor representative Mohamed Ahmed Abdelhafiz thanked the mission for its support.

El Nazir Alsadig Abass Daw Albaeit is the head new native administration’s executive office. He called upon the non-signatory movements to join peace talks to achieve lasting peace in Darfur.

Peace centre

The handover of the peace centre in Abu Karinka was attended by the Commissioner of the locality, the deputy leader of the Ma’aliya, Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, women and youth unions, and members of the local community.

Ma’aliya leader Ibrahim Bashir said that the project is the first of its kind in Abu Karinka, and thanked Unamid for its efforts to support peace and stability between the Ma’alia and the Rizeigat tribes. Locality commissioner Usman Gazim pledged that his office is committed to increase support to the native administration to support the local community more.

In his address, Unamid Officer-in-Charge Head of Sector East, Tahir Cevik, reiterated the importance of a peaceful dialogue as a foundation to intercommunal peace and development.