By Jumbe Omari Jumbe

In October 2014, the outgoing Head of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, speaks about UNAMID’s significant achievements in the implementation of a key aspect of the Mission’s core mandate: the protection of civilians in Darfur. 

In a 30-minute interview with UNAMID’s Public Information staff, Mr. Chambas says he believes, judged by its mandated aims, UNAMID has performed “credibly.” He reveals that some two million displaced civilians in Darfur lead a relatively secure life on account of UNAMID’s military and police component which patrol displaced persons’ camps and provide a secure environment to humanitarian workers. 

Mr. Chambas leaves UNAMID after serving for one year and six months as the African Union and United Nation’s Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator in Darfur. Here, he provides an insight into his strategic perspective on the challenges faced by the Mission as well as an inside look at some of the transformative developments he has worked to achieve.

VoD: Why are you leaving the Mission, particularly at this time when your efforts toward bringing non-signatory movements together have started to bear fruit?

JSR Chambas: The mediation efforts that I engaged in here at UNAMID have been undertaken in collaboration with my colleagues and the Joint Mediation Support Team. My senior management has provided advice and guidance.  I came to the Mission and met capable and committed staff—people who knew Darfur and Sudan more than I could claim to have known. I am very appreciative of the support that I received from everyone at UNAMID, especially in terms of the political and mediation aspects as also the senior advisers who worked with me. 

We are motivated by a mandate to try and bring the Sudanese together on a path of peace, to enable them to put several years of conflict behind them; our role is to facilitate peace. I hope that whatever has been achieved during my stay here will be built upon by my successors, much in the same way that I came to build on foundations laid by previous Joint AU-UN Chief Mediators. 

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