SC discusses Sudan’s Request on UNITAMS

Sudan Event – Talal Mudathir

Innocent Balemba Zahinda, Director of the Civilian Protection Office of the United Nations Transition Support Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), said that Sudan’s request to end the work of the UN mission is considered an attempt to stop documenting violations that could be used as evidence in future trials.
On the 16th of this November, the Security Council (SC) held a briefing and consultation session on the Secretary-General’s 90-day report on (UNITAMS), whose mandate expires on the 3rd of next December. Sudan officially informed the SC at the session of its request to bring to an end the mission’s work immediately citing the disappointing performance of the organization and that it did not meet needs.
Balimba, an official with the UN mission who was speaking at a training workshop with civil society organizations and human rights defenders in Entebbe, Uganda, added that the Council will take a decision on Sudan’s request shortly.
Sudan had previously announced its commitment to deal constructively with the United Nations Security Council to reach a new formula governing the relationship between the two parties. On November 17, the Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed Algerian Ramtane Lamamra as his personal envoy to Sudan after the resignation of the German head of mission, Volker Perthes in the second week of September, after the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared him persona non grata .