Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia - Ibn Chambas, a distinguished Ghanaian international
diplomat, who headed the efforts to resolve conflicts in West Africa,
has been named the new head of the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur
(UNAMID). The AU Commission President, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, and the
UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, announced the appointment of Chambas
Thursday weeks after the exit of Ibrahim Gambari of Nigeria.
'Chambas brings to this position extensive international experience from both international and governmental fora, most recently serving as the Secretary General of the African, Pacific and Caribbean states (ACP) Secretariat,' the AU said in a statement.
Chambas, a former President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, will be the joint chief mediator of the stalled Darfur peace process that has failed to yield any progress.
Talks for several months to try to have a compromise by the Darfur rebel forces dragged on for months as new demands propped up and rebel groups continued to split into smaller factions.
His main task will be to breath a new life into the stalled political process in Darfur and halt any further escalation of the conflict in Darfur, Sudan's western region, where the government and local militias have been at odds for almost a decade.
Internationally-mediated talks in Nigeria yielded a little more than an agreement to open up relief corridors in some parts of Darfur.
Most of the larger rebel factions have been unwilling to join the peace talks and less international pressure has been brought to bear on the rebel leaders even as international efforts continue to have some of the government's top leaders arrested for alleged crimes in Darfur.
Apart from getting the main rebel factions to join the international peace effort in Darfur and stabilizing the security situation on the ground, Chambas is expected to lend support to the implementation of the Doha deal.
Several Darfur rebels have failed to disarm even after agreeing to do so in a peace roadmap signed in Doha under Gambari's watch.
There is also more emphasis on the need to implement recommendations of report by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, on ways of stabilizing Sudan and Darfur in particular while dealing with the issues of equality.
With the UN financing the operation in Sudan, one of its largest operations with some 26,000 blue helmet peacekeepers deployed, Chambas will head a bigger force and spearhead a fluid and fragile peace effort in Darfur.
'Chambas brings to this position extensive international experience from both international and governmental fora, most recently serving as the Secretary General of the African, Pacific and Caribbean states (ACP) Secretariat,' the AU said in a statement.
Chambas, a former President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, will be the joint chief mediator of the stalled Darfur peace process that has failed to yield any progress.
Talks for several months to try to have a compromise by the Darfur rebel forces dragged on for months as new demands propped up and rebel groups continued to split into smaller factions.
His main task will be to breath a new life into the stalled political process in Darfur and halt any further escalation of the conflict in Darfur, Sudan's western region, where the government and local militias have been at odds for almost a decade.
Internationally-mediated talks in Nigeria yielded a little more than an agreement to open up relief corridors in some parts of Darfur.
Most of the larger rebel factions have been unwilling to join the peace talks and less international pressure has been brought to bear on the rebel leaders even as international efforts continue to have some of the government's top leaders arrested for alleged crimes in Darfur.
Apart from getting the main rebel factions to join the international peace effort in Darfur and stabilizing the security situation on the ground, Chambas is expected to lend support to the implementation of the Doha deal.
Several Darfur rebels have failed to disarm even after agreeing to do so in a peace roadmap signed in Doha under Gambari's watch.
There is also more emphasis on the need to implement recommendations of report by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, on ways of stabilizing Sudan and Darfur in particular while dealing with the issues of equality.
With the UN financing the operation in Sudan, one of its largest operations with some 26,000 blue helmet peacekeepers deployed, Chambas will head a bigger force and spearhead a fluid and fragile peace effort in Darfur.
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