UNAMID HANDS OVER NORTH DARFUR SITE TO THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT

UNAMID HANDS OVER NORTH DARFUR SITE TO THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT

August 18, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said it has officially handed over the Mission’s team site in Malha, North Darfur, to the Sudanese government.

Last June, the African Union and the United Nations decided to draw down the UNAMID) by withdrawing the military personnel by 44% and that of the police component by 30%, the closure of 11 team sites in the first phase and the withdrawal of the military component from another 7 team sites in the second phase.

In a brief press release extended to Sudan Tribune, UNAMID said it handed over Malha site on Wednesday to the Sudanese government, pointing the move is “part of UNAMID’s ongoing reconfiguration as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 2363”.

The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict, and over 2.5 million were displaced.

The hybrid mission has been deployed in Darfur since December 2007 with a mandate to stem violence against civilians in the western Sudan’s region.

It is the world’s second largest international peacekeeping force with an annual budget of $1.35 billion and almost 20,000 troops.

Recently, the United States which pays over 28% of the $7.8 billion peacekeeping budget, announced that it would cut nearly $1.3 billion of its contribution from October 2017 and urged the United Nations to take it into account.