Sudan, U.S. agree to end UNAMID mission in Oct.

Sudan and the U.S. have agreed to end the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in October, Sudan's Sovereign Council said Tuesday.

Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan received a joint telephone call from the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs Tibor Nagy and U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Donald Booth, the council said in a statement.

"Al-Burhan agreed with the two U.S officials on ending the UNAMID mission in coming October and no room to renew for it," said the statement.

It added that the two sides also agreed that the tasks of the new UN mission would be according to the national vision embodied in Sudan's letter sent to the UN on Feb. 27.

The Sudanese leader also urged the U.S to advance the efforts of the Sudanese peace talks hosted in South Sudan's capital Juba and to remove Sudan from the list of states sponsoring terrorism.

Last Saturday, the Sudanese government announced the completion of the required amendments on a UN draft resolution to establish a UN political mission in Sudan under Chapter 6 of the UN Charter which does not approve the use of military force.

On Feb. 9, Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok called for the establishment of a UN political mission in Sudan.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)