Bashir wants UNAMID to leave Darfur, says it has failed in peace keeping mission
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir speaks during a press conference on November 30, 2014 in the capital Khartoum. Bashir called for the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur to leave, saying the peacekeepers had become a "burden". AFP PHOTO | STR
What you need to know:
- President al-Bashir stated that the peace keeping mission had become a “security burden” for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
- He accused UNAMID of supporting rebel groups in the troubled Darfur region.
- This new development comes amid tension between UNAMID and Khartoum over an allegation of mass rapes committed by government forces in the troubled region.
- President al-Bashir has also confirmed that his government is seeking to achieve separate comprehensive cease-fire agreements for the war-torn areas of Darfur, and the Two Areas (Blue Nile and South Kordofan).
KHARTOUM
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has asked the United Nations and Africa Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to leave the country saying it has failed to execute its mandate.
Speaking during a public address on Sunday, president al-Bashir stated that the peace keeping mission had become a “security burden” for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
He accused UNAMID of supporting rebel groups in the troubled Darfur region.
“We want a clear plan for the exit of UNAMID from Darfur. We have instructed the foreign ministry to work with the United Nations to end the presence of UNAMID in Darfur,” the president confirmed.
“Instead of offering the Sudanese army support in protecting the civilians in the region, they are protecting the rebels. Therefore, UNAMID should develop a clear exit programme Mr al-Bashir said.
“They intend to disturb the stability in the region and to hamper the arrangement of development projects after the SAF managed to defeat the rebel movements” he further claimed.
RAPE ALLEGATIONS
This new development comes amid tension between UNAMID and Khartoum over an allegation of mass rapes committed by government forces in the troubled region.
Last week, Sudan closed the UN mission’s office in Khartoum, accusing the mission of committing many wrong-doings in the region.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked Sudan to allow another investigation on the mass rapes allegations and said the first investigations conducted by UNAMID as "inconclusive" due to heavy Sudanese military and police presence.
However, the Sudanese government has turned down the request, warning the peacekeeping mission of “dire consequences” if it raises the issue again.
Sudan has often threatened to expel the UN mission.
In the last few years, the government has expelled many UN officials and international aid organisations from Darfur, accusing them of wrongdoing.
After the International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted Mr al-Bashir for war crimes in 2009, the government threw out 13 international aid organisations.
CEASEFIRE
President al-Bashir has also confirmed that his government is seeking to achieve separate comprehensive cease-fire agreements for the war-torn areas of Darfur, and the Two Areas (Blue Nile and South Kordofan).
He however stressed that the government will never agree on the unification of the peace negotiations of Darfur and the Two Areas.
He also dismissed the rebels’ demands for autonomy.
The peace talks on the Two Areas with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, under the auspices of the AU High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), were adjourned on November 17.
The chairman of the AUHIP team, Thabo Mbeki, expressed his confidence that an agreement was not too far from being reached.
The parallel negotiations on Darfur stalled on Thursday, as the delegations from the government and the two main rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement and the Minni Minawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement, failed to reach an agreement on the agenda.
