Haile Menkerios

The new head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reiterated today his call for the national elections to be carried out next month as scheduled, but stressed that any decision to delay should be made entirely by Government officials and the electoral institution.

“Elections need to take place according to timelines subscribed by the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement], and they have to be conducted in a conducive atmosphere to ensure a free and fair process,” said Haile Menkerios today in Khartoum, in his first press conference since becoming the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and head of UNMIS.

“The CPA, however, is an agreement by the two Parties. And should the two Parties decide whether to have the elections on time or should they want to postpone them for a time, it is up to them,” the Special Representative added.

He also told reporters that it was his understanding that the presidency would meet on Tuesday to review a request by political parties for postponement of the elections currently scheduled to take place from 11 to 13 April.

The national elections, the first of their kind in 24 years, are seen as a benchmark in the implementation of the peace agreement, which was signed in 2005 to end the long-running north-south civil war in Sudan.

Voters will be able to choose a national president, a southern president, local and national assemblies, and governors.

The next major benchmark in implementation of the CPA would be a referendum next year on southern secession.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Menkerios stressed that the elections are a Sudanese process led by the governments and the National Elections Commission (NEC), with the UN providing only technical assistance and limited logistical support – as mandated by the Security Council – to the authorities staging the ballot.

“The election in all its aspects is a totally nationally owned process,” he said.

UNMIS, in cooperation with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and donors, has provided technical assistance in voter registration through its Electoral Assistance Division, and advice on operational planning.

The UN mission has also been involved in intensive election security training, instructing almost 24,000 police officers, close to 17,000 in the north and over 7,000 in the south.

“While the responsibility to provide security during elections lies with the Governments of National Unity, and the Government of Southern Sudan in its area, our peacekeeping forces will also assist in enhancing security in areas where threats of armed confrontation may exist,” Mr. Menkerios said.

Mr. Menkerios also stressed that the UN does not have a monitoring role in the elections. That role will be filled by various independent observer groups, both international and national, accredited by the NEC that will perform monitoring functions and report accordingly.

When asked what he thought of the decision to print electoral ballots at the National Printing Press in Khartoum, which is being criticized by some opposition activists, Mr. Menkerios said that decision rests solely with the NEC.

As well as UNMIS, the UN is involved in another peacekeeping operation in the country. (UNAMID) is a joint operation with the African Union in Darfur, the western region of Sudan.

January 31, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) — U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday said he will name Haile Menkerios, a former Eritrean diplomat as his special envoy to Sudan making him the third head of the UN Mission in Sudan.

“I have the intention to appoint Haile Menkerios as head of UNMIS as of the end of February with a view to facilitate the political process,” disclosed Ban Ki Moon during remarks delivered at special meeting on Sudan at the sidelines of the AU summit in Addis Ababa.

Menkerios, is currently the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs.

At the UN, he was Director of the Africa I Division in the Department of Political Affairs from June 2003 to June 2005. On September 26, 2005, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced his appointment as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo; he assumed this post in October 2005. Subsequently, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced his appointment as UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs on May 16, 2007, and he assumed this post on July 1, 2007.

From 1991 to 2000, Menkerios was Eritrea’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and the Organisation of African Unity, and was Eritrea’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Ban Ki-Moon said yesterday he would work with the African Union to maintain united Sudan and avoid southern Sudan secession.

The UN Secretary General reiterated during the special meeting his call for the Sudanese parties signatories of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to make unity attractive. He also urged them to reach an agreement on the key post referendum arrangement.

“To the CPA parties, I urge an acceleration of efforts to make unity attractive. I call on them to ensure an environment in which candidates can campaign freely and the people of Sudan can vote without any interference,” he said.

“The referenda in Southern Sudan and Abyei need to be held without hindrance and the results duly respected, he added.

In a recent report to the UN Security Council, Ban said a new civil war in Sudan could break out, given the atmosphere of deep mistrust between various key players in the country.

Also, Sudan Rice, US envoy to the UN, expressed concerns about arms flowing to South Sudan saying “We heard today from the U.N. that it is not just small arms but some heavier munitions that seem to be flowing in,” adding Washington believes some were coming from northern Sudan.

But Khartoum denied the accusations. Source:(Sudantribune)