After 13 years in Darfur, the United Nations - African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) ceased its operations on 31 December as its Security Council mandate expired.
Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, briefing the Security Council on 8 December emphasized the contribution of the mission during this period. “There were trying times in the history of UNAMID, but we believe that the presence of the mission averted large-scale violence in the difficult terrains and operating environments that it has faced. It is the responsibility of the Transitional authorities of Sudan and the parties to the Juba Peace Agreement, with the support of the international community, to safeguard the gains made in the history of UNAMID”, he said, commending the work of Mission colleagues
Echoing USG Lacroix, the Joint Special Representative (JSR) of the United Nations Secretary-General, the African Union Commission Chairperson for Darfur and Head of UNAMID, Jeremiah Kingsley Mamabolo, said “the mission has accomplished much during its mandate, but major security challenges remain, as does the need for reconciliation.” JSR Mamabolo pointed out that the peacekeepers leave behind a region that has potential for lasting peace and stability as part of a democratic Sudan following the historic signing of the Juba Peace Agreement on 3 October 2020. The agreement was “a positive move towards peace, justice and national unity,” JSR Mamabolo added.
UNAMID created a security environment in Darfur which supported the protection of civilians, particularly the internally displaced persons, community stabilization and rule of law support, the provision of humanitarian aid as well as supporting the implementation of the peace process. The mission also worked to empower women; addressed sexual and gender-based violence; protected and promoted human rights; and helped with the fight against COVID-19.
Over the years, UNAMID quick impact projects helped build road and water infrastructure, and in the recent years, UNAMID and the 缅北禁地Country Team (UNCT) have innovated the use of peacekeeping programmatic funding to enable joint planning and implementation of peacebuilding support, through a framework called the State Liaison Functions. 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.
UNAMID police and military contingents and staff volunteer groups, using their own resources and personal salaries, built schools and donated educational materials, improved water infrastructure, and donated health-related equipment and supplies across Darfur, building a close connection with the communities they served. This engagement will remain a rich and human legacy of UNAMID in Darfur. The joint UN-AU mission was established in 2007 when the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1769. In December 2007, UNAMID started its operation by assuming authority from the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and incorporating its troops into the UN’s first and only hybrid operation with a regional organization. UNAMID grew to be one of the largest peacekeeping operations in the history of the United Nations.
In resolution 2559, the 缅北禁地Security Council decided that UNAMID’s mandate would end on 31 December and requested the mission to commence withdrawal of all uniformed and civilian UNAMID personnel to be completed by 30 June 2021.
Over the next six months, over 6,000 UNAMID troops and police personnel will be gradually repatriated to their home country.
While UNAMID is wrapping up, the United Nations is not leaving Sudan. The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), a new special political mission, has begun its work with the Transitional Government and people of Sudan on supporting the democratic transition and on medium and longer-term peacebuilding, with a country-wide mandate. The United Nations Country Team will also continue its work in support of the Sudanese people.
Expressing its support for a seamless transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding in Darfur, the Security Council has stressed the importance of close collaboration between UNAMID and UNITAMS and its integrated United Nations Country Team (UNCT).
