Aichatou Mindaoudou: ‘Peace Will Prevail in the End’
In February 2013, Voices of Darfur talked with Aichatou Mindaoudou about several of the objectives she has been working to achieve as UNAMID’s Acting Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator a.i.
By Kirk L. Kroeker
Ten years ago, news of Darfur saturated the international media as fighting between tribal militias, rebel groups and Sudanese forces claimed thousands of lives. The majority were innocent Darfuris. Since those difficult days, the picture on the ground has changed, helped in part by UNAMID. With more than 25,000 military, police and civilian staff, UNAMID is the largest international peacekeeping force in the world.
In 2008, when the mission deployed following its formal establishment in 2007, reports indicated thousands were killed annually in ongoing fighting. In the following years, those numbers began to fall. However, during 2012, the gains of previous years were jeopardized. Violence in some parts of Darfur escalated, presenting a challenge for the people of Darfur, the international community and the Government of Sudan.
As ever, the chief victims in such conflicts are Darfur’s civilians. While peace in Darfur is in the interest of all—including Sudan and, above all, the long-suffering people of Darfur—UNAMID has been faced with significant challenges in working toward its mandate-driven objectives of protecting civilians, facilitating humanitarian assistance and supporting the peace process.
In February 2013, Voices of Darfur talked with Acting Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator a.i. Aichatou Mindaoudou to hear more about her strategic perspective on these challenges and to get an inside look at some of the transformative developments she has been working to achieve since assuming her role as UNAMID’s Acting Head on 1 August 2012.
Voices of Darfur: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. First, can you tell us a bit about your background and how your prior work has given you perhaps a unique perspective in leading the world’s largest peacekeeping mission?
Mindaoudou: Thank you for this opportunity to speak to you today about some of the most pressing issues UNAMID has been facing under my watch.
In terms of my background, my most recent role prior to joining UNAMID was Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Niger, where I worked for more than 10 years. This was a job that involved diplomatic practice, high-level negotiations and mediation for conflict resolution. It also involved building consensus and partnerships, as well as forging alliances on issues of common interest. To be specific, I was involved in several mediation and conflict-resolution processes, particularly in West African countries, including Cote D’Ivoire, Togo, Guinea Bissau and Niger. I also served as Niger’s Minister for Social Development, Population and Promotion of Women’s Rights.
All this, coupled with my education background—I have a Ph.D. in International Law and was a professor of International Law—and my service as a member of nongovernmental organizations and civil society groups that worked to promote human rights, women’s rights and rule of law, have been very useful in my present work as Acting Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator. In summary, I can say that my past experience has given me insight into the current challenges I face in my daily responsibilities, particularly in light of the realities here that affect the work of the Mission in protecting civilians, undertaking mediation initiatives and facilitating humanitarian access, all in the interest of advancing the peace process.
Because of the ongoing work, and the sometimes frenetic pace of the negotiations and other events inside Darfur and abroad, much of my time is taken up with both mediation efforts and the implementation of UNAMID’s core mandate to protect civilians throughout Darfur. So it is good to be able to be with you today and discuss some of the major issues the Mission has been facing and no doubt will continue to face.
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Read the full interview in the March issue of Voices of Darfur. Download the magazine (PDF) here.
On 16 December 2012 in Darma, North Darfur, Acting Joint Special Representative Aichatou Mindaoudou meets General Mohamed Bashar and other leaders of the Justice and Equality Movement - Sudan. Photo by Albert González Farran, UNAMID.
UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
