缅北禁地

25 January 2016 鈥� Against the backdrop of renewed military confrontation, the political process to resolve the conflict in Darfur through dialogue remains fragmented with limited progress, the United Nations peacekeeping chief today informed the 缅北禁地Security Council.

鈥淢ajor armed movements and opposition parties continue to boycott the current national dialogue framework,鈥� the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Herv茅 Ladsous, told the 15-member body during a briefing on the situation in Sudan鈥檚 strife-torn region.

Since the last report submitted by听听Ban Ki-moon in December, fighting has resumed in the Jebel Marra area, with clashes in the west and north of Darfur marking the end of a brief lull in the civil war, which the 缅北禁地estimates has killed tens if not hundreds of thousands of Darfuris and displaced nearly two million since 2003.

In the north, where villages were recently attacked by Arab militias, troops from the African Union-缅北禁地Mission in Darfur () were shot at twice 鈥� once by the Sudan Liberation Movement/Abdul Wahid faction while trying to recover a stolen 缅北禁地World Food Programme () truck, and a second time by Arab militias while protecting a top 缅北禁地official during a trip to Anka.

鈥淭he security situation limited an inter-agency relief mission to Anka, and humanitarian assistance had to be delivered by airdrops,鈥� Mr. Ladsous said.

Meanwhile, to the south of El Geneina, 5,000 people have reportedly been displaced due to deadly violence, but neither the 缅北禁地nor humanitarian partners has been able to confirm this figure due to Sudanese authorities blocking their access to the area.

鈥淒espite the extension of the unilateral cease-fire by President [Omar al] Bashir in the region of Jebel Marra, incidents occurred, aerial bombardments resumed, and clashes between governmental forces and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Abdul Wahid intensified in January,鈥� the 缅北禁地peacekeeping chief underscored.

He added that a dozen bombs were reported in North and Central Darfur and that fighting between Government forces and Abdul Wahid rebels resulted in victims, but the number could not be verified, again due to lack of access. Mr. Ladsous did however report that 7,900 civilians, mainly women and children, have sought refuge around the UNAMID camp at Sortoni in North Darfur.

With respect to the Darfur peace process, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army/Minni Minawi faction held a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar on 11 January in Paris. They pledged to develop a joint position paper on their concerns with respect to the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), which forms the basis for a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive peace agreement to end the fighting.

An informal meeting between the Government and the two groups started in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, on 23 January, but the parties reportedly remain divided on the role of the DDPD and an African Union implementation panel.

鈥淚t is regrettable that Abdul Wahid has been absent from these talks and we call upon him to participate constructively in the efforts to find a resolution to the conflict,鈥� Mr. Ladsous stressed.

He also voiced his regret that the visa situation remains precarious, 鈥渨ith no major improvement in its overall status.鈥� Since the last report to the Security Council, the Government rejected another seven visa requests, including four involving substantive civilian functions and one for the post of Senior Joint Operations Officer.

鈥淭he resultant loss of capacities in those sections directly related to the strategic priorities of UNAMID, such as the Protection of Civilians, is particularly concerning, in light of the evolving situations in the Jebel Marra and other areas,鈥� he explained.

Concluding his remarks, he reiterated his concern about the impact of the renewed upsurge in fighting on civilians, and expressed his hope that the cessation of hostilities negotiations will come to a 鈥減ositive conclusion鈥� and bring to an end the suffering of people caught in the fighting.