Sudan makes formal demand for UN withdrawal

June 1, 2011

docId=CNG.836b5e3d9530f1a41a32f2a2dc8f9d11.c21

(AFP) – 3 hours ago

UNITED NATIONS — Sudan on Tuesday officially told the United Nations that it

wants UN peacekeepers withdrawn after the July 9 division of the country,

officials said.

The Khartoum government's demand would only cover the north of Sudan that

remains under its control. UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said it would be

up to the UN Security Council to decide how to act on the request.

The Sudan government made its request amid heightened tensions between the north

and the south with growing territorial disputes ahead of the south's formal

break on July 9. The south has asked that the UN remain after the break.

A letter from Sudan's foreign minister was handed to UN Secretary General Ban

Ki-moon on Tuesday morning, Le Roy told the 15-member Security Council.

" The letter said clearly that they don't want to continue UNMIS after July 9, "

he added.

The UN peacekeeping department had recommended that the Security Council extend

the UN mission in Sudan, UNMIS, for three months from July 9 while a long term

change to the operation is planned.

Southern Sudan voted in a landmark referendum in January to break with the

north. But there are still many outstanding accords to finished between the two

sides.

And a dispute over the border region of Abyei, claimed by both, has led to

deadly clashes in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of people have fled Abyei in

recent days.

A two decade civil war between the north and south up to 2005 left more than two

million dead. July 9 is the formal end of a Comprehensive Peace Accord which

ended the conflict and set up the secession referendum.

UNMIS includes over 10,000 people, most of whom are troops, as well as almost

500 military observers monitoring the peace agreement, and over 1,000 civilian

staff.

Although UNMIS headquarters are in Khartoum, most staff are based in the south,

which voted overwhelmingly to split from the north in a January referendum.

Recommended Posts