Photo taken with smartphone on June 14, 2019 shows the United Nations Security Council holding a meeting on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan at the UN headquarters in New York. The peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur will continue its drawdown process toward an exit in 2020, the UN peacekeeping chief said Friday. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur will continue its drawdown process toward an exit in 2020, the UN peacekeeping chief said Friday.
Peacekeeping is no longer the most appropriate tool to address the situation in Darfur, which will require the UN-AU hybrid mission to "appropriately adjust its posture, operations and capabilities toward the final stages of its existence," UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said.
He made the remarks while briefing the UN Security Council on the new assessment of the United Nations African Union Hybrid Operation In Darfur (UNAMID).
Regarding the situation on the ground, Lacroix said the only active rebel group in Darfur, SLA/Abdul Wahid, is constrained to pockets of Jebel Marra, has limited operational capabilities, and is increasingly fragmented by infighting factions.
While the intercommunal violence has visibly declined, "the conflict drivers related to access to land and resources, environmental degradation and violation of human rights need to be further addressed," he said.
Moreover, he pointed to the prolonged humanitarian crisis in the region, saying some 1.5 million displaced persons living in camps, 90 percent of whom cannot afford more than one food basket per day.
He also noted a limited capacity of law enforcement and rule of law institutions as well as few viable development programs.
With the final exit in mind, he said the report revisited UNAMID's priorities to focus on the revitalization of the political process, the strengthening of Sudan's rule of law institutions, and the support to the long-term stabilization through durable solutions for internally displaced and sustainable rights-based approach for the Darfur population.
