UN pulls staff from Darfur amid violent backlash fears

THE United Nations was pulling non-essential staff from Darfur yesterday as Islamist protesters rallied behind Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir over allegations he masterminded a campaign of genocide in the war-torn region.

Fears of a violent backlash have mounted since the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor on Monday sought an arrest warrant against Beshir on 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.

The African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission said it would be flying out non-essential staff to Ethiopia and Uganda, despite assurances from Sudan to protect peacekeepers and humanitarian workers in the country.

The first two minibuses carrying staff left UNAMID headquarters in El Fasher en route to the local airport where they were to fly to Entebbe in Uganda, witnesses said.

“It’s not an evacuation. We’re temporarily relocating staff, some non-essential staff,” said Josephine Guerrero, spokeswoman for the UN-led peace-keeping mission, following months of deteriorating security in Darfur.

“UNAMID is not pulling out. All the forces are going to be on the ground and humanitarian operations are continuing,” she added, referring to the UN-African Union military and police force, only a third of which has deployed.

Officials in El Fasher said about 200 staff would be flown out by last night and that further “relocations” would depend on daily security assessments.

The United Nations has stressed that “relocated” personnel may return to Darfur in less than a week and that it is business as usual elsewhere in Sudan.

Sudan criticised the move as unnecessary.

“This is very unfortunate — that they are doing this despite our assurances many times that they are going to be protected, to enable them to do their daily business,” said foreign ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadiq.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Beshir “personally instructed” his forces to annihilate three ethnic groups in the western Sudanese region, accusing him of murder, torture and pillaging.

He has requested a warrant on 10 counts, three of them for genocide, in what would be the first such move by the court against a sitting head of state.