Ban voices appreciation for work of outgoing UN peacekeeping chief in Darfur

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today paid tribute to the work and dedication of the head of the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur, who is leaving his post in the war-scarred Sudanese region next week.

Rodolphe Adada, who has served as the Joint AU-UN Special Representative for Darfur and head of the peacekeeping force (known as UNAMID) since the start of last year, announced yesterday that he will step down as of 31 August.

Mr. Ban “expresses his strong appreciation for the dedication” demonstrated by Mr. Adada, “who has led UNAMID with distinction,” according to a statement issued by the Secretary-General’s spokesperson.

“Mr. Adada helped establish the Mission, led it through a challenging deployment phase and oversaw its progress in an environment of unprecedented difficulty,” the statement noted. “Going forward, the Mission will build upon these accomplishments in its efforts towards a sustainable peace in Darfur.”

UNAMID took over operations in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million others displaced as a result of conflict pitting rebels against Government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen since 2003, at the beginning of last year, replacing the under-resourced AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS).

The Force Commander, General Martin Luther Agwai, is also about to leave the Mission and will be succeeded by Lieutenant General Patrick Nyamvumba.