26.12.2021 (El-Fashir) The UN on Saturday night said a compound it had jointly used with the African Union in Sudan’s western region of Darfur was overrun and looted by armed attackers, as the country is still reeling from a political crisis.
The base in Al Fashir, one of Darfur’s largest towns, was run by the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and handed over to the local authorities on December 21.
“The camp was stormed and looted. The Sudanese authorities should have protected it,” said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary General.
“We are deeply concerned about the safety of UNAMID staff members, who are still in the camp,” Mr Haq said.
In past incidents, UN vehicles, food, furniture and money have been stolen in attacks on various missions in the sprawling region, including on the World Food Programme
. UNAMID was also providing the local communities with much needed chemical disinfectants and water purifiers to meet the drinking and cooking needs for hundreds of thousands of citizens.
The UNAMID said the mission has so far handed over some $41 million in assets and equipment to local authorities for civilian use, but 10 of the 14 sites reportedly have suffered theft and destruction.
Sudan is a member of the UN and has an obligation to protect staff of the world body and other international agencies operating in their country.
Volker Perthes, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Sudan, said in a message in Arabic on his Twitter account that the equipment stolen was to protect civilians by the Darfur authorities.
“I am deeply disappointed by the looting of the former UNAMID base in [Al Fashir] last night. The protection of civilians should be a priority for the state and for armed organisations as well — even those that have been involved in looting,” he said.
The UN mission has worked for 13 years in Darfur to protect civilians uprooted by a full-blown conflict.