El Fasher, 18 July 2010 – The AU-UN Mission joined the world in celebrating the very first Nelson MandelaDay. “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy,” was the main message of the events throughout Darfur.

The occasion, which coincides with the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s birthday, was “an opportunity for peacekeepers to honor Mr. Mandela’s legacy and his dedication to the service of humanity,” said Mr. Kemal Saļki, UNAMID’s Director of Communications and Public Information division.

The event was celebrated at UNAMID’s offices in the three state capitals, El Fasher, Nyala and El Geneina. They were cultural performances by several of the Mission’s Troop Contributing Countries, including South Africa, Rwanda and Nigeria.

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The evening program in El Fasher also included a special performance by Sudanese singer and Darfur native, Omer Ihsas and his group the Peace Messengers. The day concluded with the final match of the Nelson Mandela Cup, a football tournament between youth from the three Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps near the state capital.

Of the 36 teams from Al Salam, Abu Shouk and Zamzam camps, that originally competed in the tournament, today the two finalists, both from Abu Shouk, competed for the Cup. The tournament was organized by UNAMID’s Communications and Public Information Division, with the aim of helping youth channel their energy toward activities that unite communities and promote healthy competition and positive dialogue.

Similar sports competitions are planned for South and West Darfur.

Communication and Public Information Division Media Contacts
Kemal Saïki, Director; saiki@un.org; tel.: +249 (0) 92 244 3529; mobile: +249 (0) 92 241 0020
Chris Cycmanick, Officer-in-Charge, Media Relations; cycmanick@un.org, mobile: +249 (0) 91 253 8436