14 January 2010 - The 21st National School Competition, an event which brought students together for two-weeks of intellectual and athletic competition, concluded today. In all, more than 7,000 secondary school students from Sudan’s 25 states took part. The contest, held in El-Fasher, marked the first of its kind to be held in North Darfur.

Under the theme, “Peace-building and Reconciliation,” the gathering provided an infrequent opportunity for young people from all over Sudan to meet across ethnic lines, make friends, build dialogue and break stereotypes.

To help ensure success of the event, UNAMID provided significant assistance to the Government of Sudan in the form of logistics, security and technical expertise.

On hand for the day of competition was Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who was also in town to inaugurate a major road works project. UNAMID’s senior management also attended the closing day of the competition.