Unamid term in Darfur extended till end of May

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by Germany and the United Kingdom to extend Unamid’s term in Darfur until the end of May.

Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, the Security Council decided on Monday that the African Union-United Nations Mission Hybrid Operation in Darfur (Unamid) shall maintain its current troop and police ceilings until 31 May. Unamid will maintain all of its team sites for mandate implementation during this period.

The Security Council also expressed its intention to decide before 31 May on both a responsible drawdown and exit of Unamid, and the establishment of a follow-on United Nations presence in Sudan.

As reported by Radio Dabanga two weeks ago, the UN Security Council is considering a new peace-building mission that could replace Unamid. The mandate of the new mission would be to assist Sudan to prepare for democratic elections, and to compile a new constitution. The proposal follows a request in February by the transitional government for such a mission.

The new “political, peace support and peace-building mission,” entitled United Nations Political and Peacebuilding Integrated Mission in Sudan (UNPPIMS), would be set up for an initial period of one year. It would deploy 2,500 police officers and a battalion of a rapid reaction force (between 500 and 800 personnel). The current Unamid mission deploys more than 4,300 soldiers, 2,100 police officers, and around 1,500 civilian employees.

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