UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- With a new civilian-military ruling body in Sudan, relevant parties may revisit the timeline for resuming the drawdown of the AU/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the UN peacekeeping chief said Monday.
Briefing the Security Council on the region in west Sudan, Undersecretary-general for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said: "With the establishment of the Sovereign Council, the timeline for resuming the drawdown of UNAMID may be revisited after the end of its pause at the end of October."
On Aug. 20, Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) approved the formation of the Sovereign Council consisting of 11 members, military and civilian.
The TMC, which had been running the country since the military ousted longtime leader Omar al-Bashir, was later dissolved by a constitutional decree.
The United Nations has welcomed the council, which is tasked to rule Sudan during a three-year transition period toward elections.
In July 2018, the Security Council stated in a resolution that the mission would exit in June 2020 "provided that there is no significant change in the security situation in Darfur and key indicators are fulfilled."
However, the UN body decided on June 27 to pause the drawdown in consideration of the situation in Khartoum, where the TMC was then in deadlock with the opposition in their talks on the formation of a transitional government.
At Monday's briefing, Lacroix said, "We congratulated Sudanese parties for having navigated the unprecedented task of relinquishing a highly centralized rule that lasted for more than 30 years, and enduring protracted negotiations that led to a civilian-military coalition government."
"This is an opportunity to put a definitive end to the conflict in Darfur," he added.
He also noted the security situation in Darfur remains largely unchanged, with intermittent clashes between the Sudanese forces and armed groups in Jebel Marra as well as some inter-communal tensions.
