Sudan (Darfur)

The exact details of how and when the ex-president might be handed over are unclear, and apparently depend on a comprehensive peace deal between authorities and rebels. There are also doubts about the support of Sudan’s powerful military for such a move.

[…] As the UN and AU start to look towards transitioning from peacekeeping to peacebuilding in Darfur, what lessons are there—for Sudan, UN peacekeeping, and addressing future humanitarian crises—from the adoption of resolution 1769? Here are five.

The number of people fleeing to Chad to escape ongoing tensions in Sudan’s West Darfur state, could reach 30,000 in the coming weeks, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday. So far, 11,000 people have crossed the border since deadly inter-communal clashes erupted in the state capital, El Geneina, in late December, with some 4,000 fleeing in the past week alone.

Sudanese government and Darfur peacekeeping mission, UNAMID, Sunday agreed to immediately reactivate a joint security mechanism to allow speedy security-related consultations and decisions. The agreement comes as a result of the repeated looting incidents of UN assets in West, South and more recently, North Darfur.

The government and Darfur armed groups delegations continue discussions in Juba over the political issues before to move towards the security arrangements as they pledged to strike a comprehensive peace deal next month.

Sudan’s revolution, which last year ended the three-decade rule of Omar al-Bashir, is yet to be fully felt in troubled western Darfur, where heavily-armed militia still terrorise civilians, hold on to land they have seized, and make reconciliation harder.

Around 40,000 have been displaced in Sudan’s West Darfur State in recent days, following intercommunal clashes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday, citing Sudanese Government data. “Violence between communities in and around El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur State, had reportedly killed at least 54 people, injured 60 and displaced 40,000, since 28 December”, OCHA Spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva, adding that humanitarian partners were working to verify the displacement figures.

[…] Krinding Camp, just east of state capital el-Geneina, was raided on Dec. 29-30 following a dispute between Arab and African ethnic groups, said Ashraf Eissa, a spokesman for the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur, UNAMID.

[…] The agreement helps to advance the peace process by outlining key issues and principles to guide ongoing negotiations and serves as a basis for a fair and comprehensive peace agreement.

Civilians looted assets at the former headquarters of Darfur peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) in Nyala during three days without any measure from South Darfur authorities to stop the looting and vandalism.