Khartoum, 14 May 2009 - The head of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) held a series of meetings in Khartoum today with senior Sudanese Government officials as part of his continuing efforts to improve the security, humanitarian and political conditions in the region.

Mr. Rodolphe Adada, the AU-UN Joint Special Representative (JSR), had discussions with Minni Minawi, the Senior Assistant to the President, focusing on the situation in North Darfur, especially the area around Um Baru, where fighting erupted recently between Mr. Minawi’s Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) faction and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Mr. Minawi presented a detailed briefing on the situation to Mr. Adada, who renewed his call for all parties to the Darfur conflict to cease hostilities so that a peaceful solution to the conflict can be reached. The JSR stressed that a military solution to the crisis would not work as it would only generate more suffering for Darfurians, and he underlined the neutrality of the Mission while it performs its duties.

Mr. Adada also met the Presidential Assistant Nafie Ali Nafie, where they reviewed UNAMID’s work in Darfur and how to improve cooperation between the Government and the Mission so as to speed up the deployment of UNAMID.

The JSR described his meeting with Dr. Nafie as frank, direct and fruitful. For his part, Dr. Nafie reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to help facilitate the work of UNAMID.

Yesterday Mr. Adada also met the ambassadors of France, the United Kingdom and Qatar, and the charge d’affaires of the United States, to brief them on the status of UNAMID’s deployment and the various activities of the Mission. The ambassadors reiterated their governments’ support for UNAMID.