A displaced Sudanese woman walks past a UN-African Union mission to Darfur (UNAMID) vehicle at the Kalma camp for internally displaced people in Darfur's state capital Niyala on Oct 9, 2019. (ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP)

UNITED NATIONS - The Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution to terminate the mandate of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) from Dec 31, 2020.

Resolution 2559, which won unanimous support of the 15-member council, requests the UN secretary-general to commence the drawdown of UNAMID personnel on Jan 1, 2021, and to complete the withdrawal of all UNAMID personnel by June 30, 2021, except those required for the mission's liquidation.

The Security Council called on the Sudanese government, at all levels, to cooperate fully with the United Nations and the African Union during UNAMID's drawdown and liquidation in order to ensure the orderly and safe withdrawal of the mission

According to the resolution, the Security Council authorized, for the duration of UNAMID's drawdown and liquidation, the retention of a guard unit from within UNAMID's existing footprint to protect UNAMID's personnel, facilities and assets.

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It urged the Sudanese government to fully and swiftly implement the National Plan for Civilian Protection to protect civilians in Darfur, and underscored the need to build confidence among local communities in the ability of the rule-of-law institutions to deliver justice, ensure accountability and provide legal protection for vulnerable communities.

It called on the Sudanese government, at all levels, to cooperate fully with the United Nations and the African Union during UNAMID's drawdown and liquidation in order to ensure the orderly and safe withdrawal of the mission.

According to the resolution, UNAMID and its follow-on presence in Sudan - the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan - are called upon to closely cooperate via the established coordination mechanism to determine the modalities and timelines for the transition of responsibilities where the two missions have common strategic objectives and priorities in Darfur.

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Under the resolution, the UN secretary-general is to provide the Security Council with an assessment on lessons learned from the experience of UNAMID no later than Oct 31, 2021.

UNAMID was established by the UN Security Council in July 2007 to help maintain and mediate peace in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, which had been plagued by a war between Sudanese government forces and the indigenous population since 2003.