Gambari ends mission for peace in Darfur

The Joint Chief Representative of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari has called on the signatories of Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) to remain committed to its implementation following his departure. The decision not to renew Gambari's mission was taken after his performance failed to satisfy the organising body, Minister of State in charge Dr Amin Hassan said in a statement on Monday. "Let me reiterate that no matter the different positions and strategies of all concerned, it is imperative that the interest of the people of Darfur for peace and stability should remain paramount,” Gambari told a press conference. During his ten years in Sudan and, despite the tough conditions, he found continuous cooperation from all sides, he added. "Uniformed personnel have been helping in building roads, digging wells, drilling dozens of water boreholes, without craving for publicity. While this is the end of my tenure with UNAMID, I am leaving Sudan filled with hope and pride. The hard work undertaken by the national and international staff of UNAMID under difficult circumstance has been a source of personal inspiration.” Having travelled extensively in Darfur, he urged all parties to keep up the momentum for peace. “In all these encounters, particularly with ordinary Darfuris both in IDP camps and in the larger society, the message was the same: an end to hostility and the need for peace and development. The population has suffered too long and too deeply and it is indeed time to bring succour to them,” Gambari added. The head of the mission echoed Gambari and called on all parties to remain committed to the full implementation of the DDPD, signed in July 2011. Gambari's successor is yet to be determined.