UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 19 May 2009 - AU-UN Joint Special Representative, Rodolphe Adada has traveled to Sudan this week to talk with Minni Minawi, the Senior Assistant to the Sudanese President, about new clashes and Darfur and deteriorating relations between Sudan and neighboring Chad .

First on the agenda was the upsurge in conflict in Darfur over the last week and a half, centered on the town of Umm Baru , which led to the evacuation by AU-UN peacekeepers of 26 people hurt in the violence. They were taken to a UNAMID hospital in El Fasher to receive medical attention.

Friction on the border between Chad and Sudan was also an important item for discussion. The Secretary-General has said that he is concerned about the hostility that has grown between Chad and Sudan and urged both countries to put and end to the strain that has come to characterize interactions between them.  

Mr. Ban told the international community that “[h]e underscores that there is no military solution to the situation in the sub-region and urges the Governments of Chad and Sudan to refrain from any act that may lead to a further escalation of tensions.”

Mr. Minawi was once a member of one of Sudan ’s many opposition militia groups and the two “discussed the latest developments in Darfur , particularly the recent fighting between the Minawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA/MM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). They also discussed rising tensions between Chad and Sudan .”

Today’s meeting follows talks last week between Mr. Adada and Under-Secretary of the Sudanese Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mutrif Siddiq, and Presidential Adviser, Mustafa Osman Ismail. These discussions came as part of a gathering in Khartoum .

Approximately 2,000 noncombatants in Darfur have lost their lives in the last eighteen months. They are part of the around 300,000 killed since the conflict in Darfur erupted nearly six years ago. In addition, 2.7 million people have been displaced by the violence.

During its tenure in Darfur , UNAMID has seen 15 peacekeepers die but it continues to carry out dozens of patrols every day and administer facilities offering shelter to those who have had to flee their homes.

Since the announcement by the International Criminal Court several months ago that it was issuing an arrest warrant Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the humanitarian situation in Sudan has been difficult. The Sudanese leadership reacted to the ICC’s decision by expelling 13 international NGOs and restricting the activities of several domestic ones.

The loss of the NGOs left the humanitarian personnel remaining struggling around the clock to get enough supplies into Sudan and deliver them to the millions of people who depend on the aid. To compensate the UN organizations have stepped up their efforts.

Last week, the World Food Programme (WFP) began to give out food provisions for May, with its efforts centering on the regions particularly hurt by the loss of the NGOs. Its next distribution is being specially planned to fill the holes remaining in international aid efforts. Several feeding centers in West Darfur are, however, still inoperational. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is also now running initiatives in displaced persons camps that were started by NGOs kicked out of the country.

--BY CAROLINE PATTON

Labels: United Nations, MaximsNews Network, U.N.

 

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