El Fasher, 13 August 2015 - The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) handed over a sub camp to the University of El Geneina through the Government of West Darfur state.

The facilities of two blocks, built in 2008 on an area of 98000 sq. meters, were allocated to UNAMID by the Government of Sudan and served previously as a base for the Mission’s operations in West Darfur.

The Director of Mission Support Division, Rakesh Malik, represented UNAMID’s Acting Joint Special Representative, Abiodun Bashua, at the event and signed the handing over document with the Wali (governor) of West Darfur state, Khalil Abdalla Mohamad. “By handing over these facilities, UNAMID is not abandoning West Darfur but has merely moved its operations from this location to its main base at El Geneina Super Camp, from where it shall continue to carry its mandate as before,” Mr. Malik said.

The West Darfur Wali thanked UNAMID for handing over the facilities and commended the cooperation between UNAMID and the Government of West Darfur state and the local community. “UNAMID has remarkably supported the community in West Darfur over the past years,” Mr. Mohamad said.

The Chancellor of El Geneina University, El Tayeb Ali Ahmed, also thanked UNAMID for the initiative and stated that they had plans to start using the sub camp immediately.

Among the attendees at the ceremony were UNAMID’s Chief of Staff, West Darfur’s Minister of Education and UNAMID Sector West Head of Office.