Hearings To Identify Causes Of Conflict Kick Off In Darfur, Reports UN-AU Mission

New York, Jun 22 2009 6:10PM Public hearings got underway across Darfur over the weekend to examine the root causes of the conflict in the war-torn western region of Sudan, the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping operation in the region, known as UNAMID, announced today.

The high-level AU Panel on Darfur (AUPD) kicked off the hearings on 20 June in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, before moving to the South Darfur capital of Nyala on Sunday, listening to Darfurians and other stakeholders in a bid to determine a route to an effective peace process.

Chaired by former South African President Thabo Mbeki and made up of other African dignitaries, the AUPD also held hearings with administrators, women, youth and representatives from the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement /Abdul Waheed faction in the North Darfur village of En Siro, and with Sudanese political parties in Khartoum last week.

This week another round of hearings into the six years of fighting between the Government, allied militia and rebel groups in Darfur – which has led to over 300,000 deaths and uprooted over 2.7 million people – will take place in the West Darfur towns of El Geneina and Zalingei, said UNAMID.

Meanwhile, the mission reported that nearly 100 Gambian police officers have arrived in Darfur over the past week to join the ranks of some 13,455 personnel already there – out of a total Security Council authorized force of 19,555.

ENDS