UN chief in Sudan spotlights achievements and UN role since end of civil war

The establishment of government institutions, the redeployment of former combatants and the successful implementation of the national census have been the major accomplishments in Sudan since the 2005 accord ending the north-south civil war, the top United Nations envoy to the country said today.

Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Sudan, highlighted the achievements of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended the long-running conflict between the Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), during an open forum at the University of Khartoum.

At the meeting, Mr. Qazi reiterated the UN Mission in Sudan’s (UNMIS) readiness to assist in implementing upcoming CPA benchmarks on such issues as elections, border demarcation, the downsizing of the two armed forces and the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process.

Some 80 participants, from academia, civil society, political and media organizations, engaged in discussions on a range of issues related to the CPA and the UN’s role in Sudan, including the UNMIS mandate, the relationship with the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur – known as UNAMID – and the democratic transformation of the country.