Security Council to decide Sudan mission future

Sudan continues after the country splits in two, a UN spokeswoman said yesterday.
The northern government said on Saturday it had officially informed the UN secretary-general that the mission’s term would end on July 9, the day the south is expe-cted to secede. The mission, known as UNMIS, is working to implement a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of civil war between the north and south.
“Our position is simple and clear, it is a matter to be dealt with by the Security Council . . . The (northern) government can express its wishes, ultimately the decision to leave or stay is a decision for the Security Council,” Hua Jiang, a UN spokeswoman, told Reuters. Southern Sudanese voted overwhelmingly for independence in a January referendum that was promised under the peace deal. They are expected formally to secede from Sudan on July 9. – Reuters.