Unamid head briefs AU Security Council, Sudanese officials

The head of Unamid, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, briefed the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) on Darfur in Addis Ababa, on Friday. Earlier this week, he held a number of meetings with senior government officials in Khartoum to discuss modalities of support to the National Dialogue.  In his speech to the Council, Ibn Chambas set out the mediation efforts he undertook jointly with the A‘ High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), the UN Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Arab League. He focused on ways of integrating the Darfur peace process into the broader opportunity presented by the National Dialogue Initiative announced by President Omar Al Bashir earlier this year, Unamid stated in a press release issued on Saturday.  The Unamid head expressed the “common belief amongst the stakeholders that the war has to stop through a cessation of hostilities, or a permanent ceasefire; the need to bring about an inclusive change based on national consensus among all the Sudanese and for this to be done through an open, transparent, free and fair dialogue”.  “The fact remains that the level of displacement in Darfur remains alarming,” Ibn Chambas told the AUPSC members, reiterating the “imperative for finding a political solution to the unfolding humanitarian crisis, while addressing the security challenges in Darfur”.  Mediation He also recommended to the Council the integration of mediation efforts on Darfur and Sudan into one robust mechanism, under the leadership of President Thabo Mbeki, the AUHIP chairman, “in order to harness the respective strengths of the AUHIP, Unamid, the UN Special Envoy, IGAD, Qatar, and the Arab League into a synchronised, coherent and programmatic mediation structure”.  “Unamid stands ready to offer logistical support, within its mandate, resources and capability, towards the stopping of war through a monitored cessation of hostilities or ceasefire, as well as support the integration and incorporation of the Darfur-specific concerns in the DDPD within the national dialogue”, the head of Unamid reaffirmed at the conclusion of his speech to the Council.  Doha visit On Thursday, Ibn Chambas met with both Dr El Tigani Sese, the chairman of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA), and Dr Amin Hassan Omar, head of the Darfur Peace Follow-up Office in Khartoum. He briefed them on the positive outcomes of the tripartite meeting between himself, the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister, and the chairman of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) in Doha on Tuesday, stressing the ongoing efforts to bring non-signatory movements to join the National Dialogue.  Kalma camp The Unamid head also appealed for calming the currently tense situation in Kalma camp for the displaced in South Darfur State. He called on “all the parties, in and around Kalma, to exercise restraint, and refrain from any hasty actions that could damage the nascent prospects of achieving peace in Darfur”, Unamid stated in a press release issued on Saturday. File photo: File photo: Ibn Chambas (2nd from the right) visiting Shangil Tobaya, North Darfur, June 2013 (Rania Abdulrahman/ Unamid) Sudan’s Dialogue parties call for release political detainees; peace talks to resume (12 September 2014) Unamid holds consultations in Doha on Darfur, Sudan’s Dialogue (10 September 2014)Sudan security detains Kalma camp student in South Darfur (10 September 2014) ‘Unamid’s main task is to protect Darfur displaced’: camp leader (9 September 2014)