Unamid to support rehabilitation of North Darfur road, police stations

The joint UN-AU Mission in Darfur (Unamid) has offered to assist with the rehabilitation of El Fasher-Tawila road in North Darfur.

During a visit to Tawila on Thursday, the head of Unamid North Darfur sector, Sinina Lo, requested officials in the locality to determine how the mission can contribute to the rebuilding of the road.

Lo visited Tawila to assess the security and environmental conditions along El Fasher -Tawila road, the situation of the displaced in the area, and the possibilities of the voluntary returnees to cultivate their land.

She said Unamid is ready to cooperate with the locality in support of voluntary repatriation efforts and the rehabilitation of police stations in order to enhance security.

Groups of gunmen are still wreaking havoc and attacking people in Tawila. In end July, a man was killed in a raid on a village near Dubo El Omda.

Tensions over land and pastures have often caused clashes between farmers in the region of Jebel Marra and militant herders who want to use their farms as pasture. Displaced who returned to their area of origin complain about new settlers who occupy their villages.

Exit

According to Khartoum, Darfur is witnessing stability and continuous improvement after a successful disarmament campaign.

The Minister of Defence, Ali Salim, stated in July that the Darfuri society is recovering from the effects of the war. There are large groups of arms holders on their way to peace, he said.

The last troops of the UN-AU peacekeeping mission, formed in end July 2007 to bring stability to war-torn Darfur, will leave the region in 2020.

The UN Security Council stated however in June this year that consideration should be given to “a gradual drawdown that would allow the Mission’s exit to be guided by the political and security situation on the ground so as not to create a security vacuum”.

Darfur displaced, Sudanese politicians, international activists and human rights organisations have all warned for the consequences of a downsizing of the number of peacekeepers for the people in Darfur. According to the Sudan Democracy First Group (SDFG), the UN and AU decision to withdraw the peacekeepers was based on “a flawed analysis of the current security and political situation in Darfur”.