El Fasher, 29 April 2010 – The past several weeks have seen a number of achievements in diplomacy made by the Joint Special Representative (JSR) of the AU-UN Mission in Darfur, Mr. Ibrahim Gambari. The most notable of these included a one-on-one discussion with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, a series of diplomatic missions to West Africa and the safe release of four kidnapped UNAMID peacekeepers.

Sudan was the focus of widespread attention during the country’s first multi-party elections in 24 years. JSR Gambari oversaw much of UNAMID’s preparations, which helped contribute to the electoral process being safely carried out in Darfur.

During the elections period, UNAMID provided logistical support to the National Elections Commission, facilitated the movements of international elections observers and had, by then, trained over 10,000 police officers to help keep the peace. Mr. Gambari had the opportunity to acquire first-hand knowledge of the Mission’s role in support of the elections when he accompanied a UNAMID patrol to visit polling stations in several Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in North Darfur.

In addition, JSR Gambari received a number of high-level delegations, whom he updated on the latest security and political developments of the region. These included former South African President Thabo Mbeki, former Ghanaian President John Kufuor; the head of the African Union (AU) Liaison Office in Sudan; Japan’s Ambassador to the Sudan; and the head of the League of Arab States’ Elections Observation Mission.

On 21 April, Mr. Gambari concluded a mission to West Africa, where he briefed senior officials in Ghana and Nigeria on latest developments in Darfur, and thanked them for their continued support to the Mission. He also visited neighboring Chad where he briefed President Idriss Déby and discussed the improving relations between Chad and Sudan. The JSR then proceeded to Saudi Arabia where he met with Organisation of the Islamic Conference Secretary-General Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu and Islamic Development Bank President Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Madani.

On 25 April, JSR Gambari met with President Al-Bashir, who expressed gratitude for UNAMID’s elections assistance. The discussion also touched numerous issues including developments in the peace process, the safety of the Mission’s peacekeepers and the JSR’s earlier diplomatic missions.

More recently, when four UNAMID peacekeepers were taken hostage on 11 April, JSR Gambari spearheaded the Mission’s collaborations with the Government of the Sudan and local authorities. This issue was at the top of the agenda of the one-hour meeting of the JSR with the President of the Sudan. All these efforts ultimately lead to the safe release of the kidnapped peacekeepers after16 days in captivity.

Mr. Gambari’s focus now turns to the Doha peace negotiations. Within the coming weeks, he plans to work together with the Joint Special Mediator and the AU High Implementation Panel on Darfur to help bring all stakeholders to the negotiating table.