The Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution that will dramatically cut the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Sudan's vast western Darfur region in response to reduced fighting and improved security conditions.
The resolution adopted on Friday by a vote of 15-0 looks ahead to "the eventual exit" of the joint force known as UNAMID.
The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when ethnic Africans rebelled, accusing the Arab-dominated Sudanese government of discrimination. The government in Khartoum was accused of retaliating by arming local nomadic Arab tribes and unleashing them on civilian populations - a charge it denies.
The UN-AU force was established in 2007 with a mandate to help protect civilians.
The new resolution will cut UNAMID's troop strength from the current 8 735 to 4 050 by June 30, 2019.
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