UN: Sudan’s military demands UN-AU force hand over premises

The United Nations says Sudan’s transitional military council has issued a decree demanding that the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur hand over its premises as part of its withdrawal next year.

But U.N. associate spokesperson Eri Kaneko said Monday that the decree “is not in keeping with our existing agreement with the Sudanese government and our insistence that the facilities be used solely for civilian purposes.”

Last July, the Security Council voted to dramatically cut the force in the vast western Darfur region in response to reduced fighting and improved security conditions. The target for ending the mission is June 30, 2020.

Kaneko said the U.N. and African Union have made clear that peacekeeping installations should be used to benefit all people and build peace in Darfur.