The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution giving a green light for the UN to prepare for a peacekeeping operation in southern Sudan and calling for a halt to fighting in the western Darfur region and elsewhere.
Friday's resolution welcomes the signing of a declaration on June 5 by representatives of the Sudanese government and southern rebels covering six previously negotiated protocols, and their commitment to complete a peace agreement.
Among the procedures left to finalize are an internationally monitored cease-fire agreement and a timeline for implementing the pact that will end a 21-year civil war. Talks to put together the comprehensive peace agreement will begin June 22.
The Security Council urged the government and southern rebels to conclude the agreement "speedily," saying it would contribute "to improved stability and peace in Sudan."
Sudan's UN Ambassador Elfatih Mohamed Erwa said "right now there is peace in the south."
A ceasefire has been in place for two years, he said, and now that "the major obstacles" in a final agreement have been overcome the last issue is implementation.
The resolution welcomes Secretary-General Kofi Annan's proposal to establish an advance team, for an initial three-month period, to make contact with the parties and prepare for an international monitoring mission once a final peace agreement is signed.
The council asked Annan to make recommendations on the size, structure and mandate of a UN operation "as soon as possible" after the final deal is reached.
In the meantime, the resolution authorizes the United Nations to start pre-positioning critical supplies and personnel to facilitate rapid deployment of a possible mission to assist in monitoring and verifying compliance with the final peace deal.
During final negotiations on the text of the resolution, there was a debate over whether the fighting in Darfur should be included, because it is separate from the conflict in the south.
Late last month, the Security Council put new pressure on the Sudanese government to end the conflict in Darfur, where thousands have been killed in fighting between Arab militias and the black African population. Thousands more have been driven from their homes and the United Nations says 2 million people are in acute need of food and medical help.
The resolution adopted Friday calls for an immediate halt to fighting in Darfur and in the Upper Nile, calls for a political agreement "without delay," and welcomes African Union efforts to help achieve one.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday vowed that those behind bogus flood control projects would be arrested before Christmas, days after deadly back-to-back typhoons left swathes of the country underwater. Scores of construction firm owners, government officials and lawmakers — including Marcos’ cousin congressman — have been accused of pocketing funds for substandard or so-called “ghost” infrastructure projects. The Philippine Department of Finance has estimated the nation’s economy lost up to 118.5 billion pesos (US$2 billion) since 2023 due to corruption in flood control projects. Criminal cases against most of the people implicated are nearly complete, Marcos told reporters. “We don’t file cases for
A feud has broken out between the top leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on whether to maintain close ties with Russia. The AfD leader Alice Weidel this week slammed planned visits to Russia by some party lawmakers, while coleader Tino Chrupalla voiced a defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The unusual split comes at a time when mainstream politicians have accused the anti-immigration AfD of acting as stooges for the Kremlin and even spying for Russia. The row has also erupted in a year in which the AfD is flying high, often polling above the record 20 percent it
Ecuadorans are today to vote on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and the drafting of a new constitution that could give the country’s president more power. Voters are to decide on the presence of foreign military bases, which have been banned on Ecuadoran soil since 2008. A “yes” vote would likely bring the return of the US military to the Manta air base on the Pacific coast — once a hub for US anti-drug operations. Other questions concern ending public funding for political parties, reducing the number of lawmakers and creating an elected body that would
‘ATTACK ON CIVILIZATION’: The culture ministry released drawings of six missing statues representing the Roman goddess of Venus, the tallest of which was 40cm Investigators believe that the theft of several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era from Syria’s national museum was likely the work of an individual, not an organized gang, officials said on Wednesday. The National Museum of Damascus was closed after the heist was discovered early on Monday. The museum had reopened in January as the country recovers from a 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year al-Assad dynasty last year. On Wednesday, a security vehicle was parked outside the main gate of the museum in central Damascus while security guards stood nearby. People were not allowed in because
RSS