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In the aftermath of the recent looting incidents of UN assets in West, South and more recently, North Darfur, UNAMID’s Joint Special Representative/Joint Chief Mediator, Jeremiah Mamabolo met with Government of Sudan officials, and agreed to immediately reactivate a joint security mechanism that will allow for speedy security related consultations and decisions.
This development follows meetings JSR Mamabolo held in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum with the Sudan Minister of Defence (MOD) and with the Assistant Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on 16 January and 24 January 2020, respectively. The mechanism comprises of UNAMID, UN Country Team, Sudan Ministry of Defence and other relevant Sudanese authorities.
“This is an important step towards ensuring safety and security of local communities, UN staff and assets when incidents like the recent looting in Kabkabiya occur. A central body like the joint security mechanism will enhance security related cooperation between UNAMID and the host government, a key element in achieving immediate and impactful response to these challenging situations,” JSR Mamabolo noted.
“For instance, in the recent Kabkabiya looting incident, MoFA and related security elements, once alerted by the Mission of the developing situation, immediately deployed in the area averting further destruction of property and possible loss of lives. UNAMID Pakistan Battalion, based in Kabkabiya also reacted speedily to the call for support and secured the concerned UN agency premises. This collaborative approach is to be commended and replicated in the future, when such incidents occur,” UNAMID JSR added.
UNAMID looks forward to the immediate reinstatement of this joint security mechanism and expresses its willingness to play its part in ensuring its successful implementation.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).
