On 5 November 2015, UNAMID’s Ordnance Disposal Office (ODO), Sector South, handed over two modified containers for safe storage of weapons and ammunition to the South Darfur Police Station in the Al Nahda area, Nyala, South Darfur.

The handover of the two stores is in line with the Mission’s mandate of protection of civilians through better control of small arms and light weapons in Darfur. The two containers were constructed under the UN Mine Action project.

Speaking at the handover, UNAMID representative Paul Ebikwo commended the continued cooperation between UNAMID and the Government of South Darfur through its different institutions, including police and other security organs and noted that the handover coincided with the joint decision of UN Security Council and the state governments in Darfur to collect illegal weapons in the region. He added that such storage facilities aim at enhancing the security situation across Darfur.

On his part, the Government of Sudan Police Liaison Officer, Lt.-Colonel Altom Abduljabar, expressed his appreciation for the cooperation between GoS Police and UNAMID and Sudan Police, especially in the areas of capacity building and project implementation. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of proper weapons and ammunitions storage in ensuring a stable security situation.