UNAMID Denies Handover of Kalma Camp Leaders to the Government

UNAMID says that it has not handed over the five Darfur sheikhs who have been at the center of a standoff between the government of Sudan and the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The government of Sudan accuses the five of instigating violence in Kalma camp for internally displaced people.

Chris Cycmanick, the UNAMID spokesman, says that talks with the government of Sudan on the issue are still ongoing “and we hope that there will be a peaceful resolution to this issue that is agreeable to all parties.”

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Some media reports have said that UNAMID was on the verge of releasing the five to the government. “The five IDP’s remain in our community policing center, and no agreement has been reached on their handover yet,” says Cycmanick.

He says UNAMID head Ibrahim Gambari recently met with the citizens of the Kalma camp on a joint visit with government officials as part of a continuing effort to ease tensions.

Skirmishes in the camp broke out last month between supporters and opponents of the peace talks in Doha. The five IDP leaders sought the protection of UNAMID, and Khartoum has since been demanding that they be handed over to government authorities.