UNITED NATIONS, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council Thursday decided to renew the mandate of the African Union/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) in Sudan till June 30, 2018.
In a unanimously-adopted resolution, the council noted that "the overall security situation in Darfur remains precarious" due to activities of militia groups, prevalence of weapons and other factors, and decided to extend the mandate of the peacekeeping mission.
According to the resolution, the authorized ceiling of the troops and police of UNAMID shall be reduced to 11,395 military personnel and 2,888 police personnel respectively within six months.
The war in Darfur is a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in Feb. 2003 between government forces and rebel groups.
UNAMID was established on July 31, 2007 with the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution.
The mission of UNAMID focuses on military protection, explosive remnants of war clearance and emergency relief in the Jebel Marra area.
