After splendid isolation in the hotel, writing and editing from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. with breaks only for food, the evaluation report was finalized on Monday, June 25th. We submitted it in the afternoon to our UN counterparts via e-mail, in preparation for a meeting the following day to discuss the results.
After the document was sent off I took a long walk along the Blue Nile, watching storm clouds gather in the northwestern section of Khartoum. Rainy season is starting in Sudan. It comes with brisk breezes and visual effects nearly identical to the dust storms that sweep the country. Oddly tinted haze envelopes everything in sight, bringing the feeling that something much grander is around you, of which you are only a small part. It seemed a fitting end to my last full day in Sudan.
We presented the report on Tuesday and were grateful to know that it was well received. The final leg of the trip will be in Geneva for another de-brief at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and a final chance for revisions to the report. The report was submitted at the same time that the news came of a six-month extension of the African Union Forces in Sudan. This period is expected to be the final period before the hybrid force comes into being. These six months, then, will hopefully be a transitional phase for AMIS and a beacon for renewed hope that a new peace agreement can be reached along with improved security for Darfurians. I know that I will be watching very closely – from a safe distance – as will many of us.