Sudan summons UNAMID’s chief over mandate extension
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Sudanese children walk past a UN-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID) vehicle at the Zamzam camp for internally-displaced persons in Northern Darfur on April 12, 2016. ©AFP
Sudan has summoned the head of the UN peacekeeping force in Darfur to protest the extension of its mission in the country.
According to Press TV, Sudan's Foreign Ministry summoned Martin Uhomoibh, the head of the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), after the UN recommended a one-year extension of the mission despite Khartoum's opposition.
About 20,000 troops from more than 30 countries are currently deployed in the war-torn region.
A joint report by the African Union Commission and UN chief Ban Ki-moon has recommended extending UNAMID's mandate, which expires at the end of the month, for 12 months until June 30, 2017.
The report says some 2.6 million people remain displaced in Darfur amid “limited progress” in reaching a viable solution to end the conflict.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said the report contained “incorrect information about the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur.”
Sudan's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kamal Ismail, said last month it was "time to say goodbye to the UNAMID mission.”
“This mission came to protect civilians, but now there is no danger to civilians; there is no conflict in Darfur,” he claimed.
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