UN relocates Sudan staff to Uganda
Jul 15, 2008
A total of 2,500 United Nations (UN) non-essential staff in Sudan are being evacuated to Uganda despite assurances from Khartoum that it would protect peacekeepers and humanitarian workers.
By Barbara Among
and agencies
A total of 2,500 United Nations (UN) non-essential staff in Sudan are being evacuated to Uganda despite assurances from Khartoum that it would protect peacekeepers and humanitarian workers.
The first 100 workers arrived in Entebbe last night as Islamist protesters rallied behind Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir over allegations he mastermined a campaign of genocide in the war-torn Darfur region.
“We don’t know the total number yet, but the first 100 arrive at Entebbe this evening. We are expecting between 1,700 and 2,500 non-essential staff here,†said Pernilla Ryden, a UN officer in charge of the relocation.
While in Uganda, the staff will be staying in hotels in Entebbe and Kampala under the care of MONUC, the UN peace-keepers in Congo, she added.
Officials at the UN mission in Darfur (UNAMID) headquarters in El Fasher said about 200 staff were flown out yesterday and further relocations would depend on daily security assessments.
Another 60 to 65 relatives of UN employees have been leaving Khartoum following the raising of the security levels.
Uganda’s foreign affairs permanent secretary James Mugume said the the Government was aware of the relocation and had strengthened the immigration department at Entebbe to deal with the influx.
“The UN applied for clearance and it was given on Monday. The relocated staff will be staying at different hotels,†said Mugume. The UN has a regional base in Entebbe.
Sudan has called the evacuations unfortunate and unnecessary. “This is very unfortunate, that they are doing this despite our assurances many times that they are going to be protected, to enable them to do their daily business,†foreign ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadiq told AFP news agency inside Sudan.
The UN stressed that the relocated personnel may return to Darfur in less than a week and that it was business as usual elsewhere in Sudan.
“We are committed to our obligations to support peace in Sudan and carry out our mandates and tasks. We also point out that the safety and security of the UN, international and NGO staff is paramount,†said UN spokesman Brian Kelly.
Fears of a violent backlash have mounted since the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday sought an arrest warrant against Bashir on 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.
Even before the announcement, the security situation had deteriorated. Only last week, eight UNAMID peacekeepers, including a Ugandan, were killed and over 20 wounded following an ambush by a heavily-armed militia in North Darfur.
It was the deadliest in a series of attacks in the six months since the UN assumed command of peacekeeping in the region to replace an ill-equipped and under-manned African Union force.
In his first public appearance since the ICC announcement, Bashir danced, punched the air in delight with his walking stick and shouted “God is Great†at a ceremony in Khartoum to ink a new electoral law, seen as vital to democratic transformation.
Sudan, which is under a UN-imposed obligation to execute any such warrants, has refused to surrender two suspects named last year for war crimes in Darfur, one of them a Cabinet minister.
Sudan is pressing for contacts with permanent members of the UN Security Council, especially China and Russia, over the warrant. The council has the power to intervene to defer any prosecution for a year, which is renewable.
China yesterday warned that the move might upset peace hopes in Darfur.
The conflict began in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime and state-backed militias, fighting for resources and power in one of the most deprived places on earth.
The UN has said 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million displaced since then. Khartoum puts the number of fatalities at 10,000.
The AU warned any indictment of Bashir would create a power vacuum that risked “military coups and widespread anarchyâ€.
and agencies
A total of 2,500 United Nations (UN) non-essential staff in Sudan are being evacuated to Uganda despite assurances from Khartoum that it would protect peacekeepers and humanitarian workers.
The first 100 workers arrived in Entebbe last night as Islamist protesters rallied behind Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir over allegations he mastermined a campaign of genocide in the war-torn Darfur region.
“We don’t know the total number yet, but the first 100 arrive at Entebbe this evening. We are expecting between 1,700 and 2,500 non-essential staff here,†said Pernilla Ryden, a UN officer in charge of the relocation.
While in Uganda, the staff will be staying in hotels in Entebbe and Kampala under the care of MONUC, the UN peace-keepers in Congo, she added.
Officials at the UN mission in Darfur (UNAMID) headquarters in El Fasher said about 200 staff were flown out yesterday and further relocations would depend on daily security assessments.
Another 60 to 65 relatives of UN employees have been leaving Khartoum following the raising of the security levels.
Uganda’s foreign affairs permanent secretary James Mugume said the the Government was aware of the relocation and had strengthened the immigration department at Entebbe to deal with the influx.
“The UN applied for clearance and it was given on Monday. The relocated staff will be staying at different hotels,†said Mugume. The UN has a regional base in Entebbe.
Sudan has called the evacuations unfortunate and unnecessary. “This is very unfortunate, that they are doing this despite our assurances many times that they are going to be protected, to enable them to do their daily business,†foreign ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadiq told AFP news agency inside Sudan.
The UN stressed that the relocated personnel may return to Darfur in less than a week and that it was business as usual elsewhere in Sudan.
“We are committed to our obligations to support peace in Sudan and carry out our mandates and tasks. We also point out that the safety and security of the UN, international and NGO staff is paramount,†said UN spokesman Brian Kelly.
Fears of a violent backlash have mounted since the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday sought an arrest warrant against Bashir on 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.
Even before the announcement, the security situation had deteriorated. Only last week, eight UNAMID peacekeepers, including a Ugandan, were killed and over 20 wounded following an ambush by a heavily-armed militia in North Darfur.
It was the deadliest in a series of attacks in the six months since the UN assumed command of peacekeeping in the region to replace an ill-equipped and under-manned African Union force.
In his first public appearance since the ICC announcement, Bashir danced, punched the air in delight with his walking stick and shouted “God is Great†at a ceremony in Khartoum to ink a new electoral law, seen as vital to democratic transformation.
Sudan, which is under a UN-imposed obligation to execute any such warrants, has refused to surrender two suspects named last year for war crimes in Darfur, one of them a Cabinet minister.
Sudan is pressing for contacts with permanent members of the UN Security Council, especially China and Russia, over the warrant. The council has the power to intervene to defer any prosecution for a year, which is renewable.
China yesterday warned that the move might upset peace hopes in Darfur.
The conflict began in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime and state-backed militias, fighting for resources and power in one of the most deprived places on earth.
The UN has said 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million displaced since then. Khartoum puts the number of fatalities at 10,000.
The AU warned any indictment of Bashir would create a power vacuum that risked “military coups and widespread anarchyâ€.