UNAMID JSR meets with Sudanese VP Taha, full support pledged

Sudan / UNAMID JSR meets with Sudanese Vice President, full support pledged
SOURCE: United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, March 18, 2010/APO:

Joint Special Representative (JSR) Ibrahim Gambari was received today by Vice President of the Sudan Ali Osman Mohamed Taha. The visit marks the first between the two since the JSR took up his duties as head of UNAMID.

Mr. Gambari briefed the Vice President on UNAMID’s activities, including the new priorities of providing more proactive support to the ongoing peace process; enhancing the security of civilians and internally displaced people in Darfur; laying the foundation for early recovery; and, assisting in the normalization of relations between Chad and the Sudan.

VP Taha fully endorsed these priorities and pledged the full support of the Government of the Sudan in assisting UNAMID in fulfilling its mandate.

“I’m particularly happy that this meeting took place before the signing ceremony of the Framework Agreement between the Government of the Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement in Doha, Qatar. This comes at a time when we are witnessing positive developments,” the JSR said.

“We want to see UNAMID succeed as this is beneficial to the people of Sudan, and most importantly for the Darfurians,” the VP stated.

This evening JSR Gambari will depart for Doha, where he will attend the signing of the aforementioned Agreement.

Security Situation in Darfur Feb 8, 2010 - JSR departs for Doha to support peace talks - Humanitarian assessment in Mou, North Darfur

Darfur / UNAMID Daily Media Brief
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, February 8, 2010/APO):
UNAMID Daily Media Brief / 2010-02-08

Security situation in Darfur
The security situation in Darfur remains relatively calm but unpredictable.

UNAMID military forces conducted 99 patrols including routine, short range, long range, night, and Humanitarian escort patrols, covering 89 villages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps during the reporting period.

UNAMID police advisors also conducted 191 patrols in villages and IDP camps.

JSR departs for Doha to support peace talks
UNAMID Joint Special Representative (JSR) Ibrahim Gambari has today departed for Doha, to provide his support to the ongoing peace process. He is accompanied by the Mission’s Force Commander and the Directors of Civil and Political Affairs.

Tomorrow, Mr. Gambari will meet with Joint Chief Mediator Djibril Bassolé, members of the Qatari Foreign Ministry, senior Sudanese government officials, as well as the representatives of rebel movements who are already in Doha. Sudanese-Chadian relations will be discussed, as well as the region’s security and political situations in the face of the upcoming general elections.

The JSR will resume the consultations initiated during the 14th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa last week, where he outlined the Mission’s priorities. With the Mission’s deployment now nearing 80%, Mr. Gambari has indicated that UNAMID’s focus lay in supporting the Darfur peace process and in helping to secure stability by enhancing the security of civilians and internally displaced people in the region.

Humanitarian assessment in Mou, North Darfur
Yesterday, UNAMID conducted an inter-agency mission to Mou, a small village approximately 100 kilometres outside El Fasher, North Darfur, which had seen much conflict in the last few months, most recently in December 2009. The Mission, along with OCHA, IOM and WHO, gathered information on the security situation and the population’s food, water and health care needs, as well as assessed displacements and possible returns to the area.

The village was found to be in grave need of humanitarian aid. Owing to the drought during the last farming season, water is scarce and most of the villagers are dependent on rations. The region’s only health care facility is a small building which has been looted and burned and has had no medical personnel since September 2009. As a result, childbirth complications, diarrhea and malaria are common causes of death.

Following the visit, the mission drew up a series of recommendations including the need for increased patrols, more schools, greater access to medical care, and added water resources.

Source: United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)

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