Khartoum (UNA-OIC) – The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) is scheduled to complete its drawdown exercise on 30 June 2021, as requested by the UN Security Council Resolution 2559 (2020) which ends the Mission’s mandate.
UNAMID Assistant Secretary-General M’Baye Babacar Cissé was tasked to oversee the drawdown period, manage personnel and asset repatriation, transfer team sites to local authorities, and engage with the Sudanese Transitional Government on relevant issues.
Over the past four months, UNAMID handed over 14 team sites to the Government, who committed to using them for civilian purposes as in line with the Framework Agreement signed on 4 March 2021. Facilities are to be utilized for health care, education, and other social services, including vocational training and community centers, as identified by community members.
“Good coordination and cooperation with the Government of Sudan have been critical for meeting the tight timeline and benchmarks set by the Security Council for the drawdown period. Similarly, it will be important for the Government to ensure the protection of the Logistics Base and the repatriation of remaining staff to facilitate a seamless liquidation phase,” said Cissé.
During UNAMID’s 13-year mandate, more than 100,000 military and police peacekeepers were contributed by dozens of countries from around the world. At its peak deployment in 2011, it had nearly 23,000 troops and police. The Mission began the drawdown period in January 2021.
The expiry of UNAMID’s mandate on 31 December 2020 and its departure by 1 July 2021, makes room for the new United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). The Hybrid Mission has coordinated regularly with UNITAMS and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT), sharing best practices and lessons learned on its work in Darfur to consolidate and scale up the peacebuilding gains that have been made.
