PSC/PR/COMM.(DCCLXXVIII) 3 11. Urges the Government of Sudan, through the residual committees of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA), to intensify efforts towards addressing land issues, IDP returns, reconciliation, peace building and addressing the root causes of the conflict in Darfur, especially the underlying conflict drivers, including land and resources distribution, which remain largely unaddressed. Council underlines the need for UNAMID and the UN Country Team to continue working closely with the Government of Sudan to ensure that there is enough international support for this key initiative. Council requests the AU Commission to provide political support to this initiative, through direct engagement with the Government of Sudan; 12. Reiterates its support to the request of the Government of Sudan to the United Nations for Darfur to be placed on the agenda of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (UNPBC). In this regard, Council decides to engage the UNPBC, on the margin of its 12th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting with the UNSC, to be held in July 2018 in New York, United States of America; 13. Requests the AU Commission to dispatch to Darfur an AU assessment mission to engage the Government of Sudan, UNAMID and the UN Country Team, with a view to identifying areas of postconflict reconstruction and reconciliation to avoid a relapse to conflict; 14. While welcoming the proposal by the Special Report of the Secretary General and the AU Commission Chairperson that the UNAMID would exit on 30 June 2020 and its liquidation be completed by December 2020, Council notes, however, that consideration should be given to: a. Ensuring a gradual drawdown that would allow the Mission’s exit to be guided by the political and security situation on the ground so as not to create a security vacuum and expose civilian populations; b. The area of operation for UNAMID should be retained as the whole geographic Darfur given the fact that the Mission retains the responsibility to protect civilians under threat in the entire region of Darfur; 15. Decides to adopts the Special Report of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the Strategic Review of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur; 16. Furthermore, decides to extend, for a further period of 12 months, the mandate of UNAMID, in line with the recommendations contained in the Special Report of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the Strategic Review of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. Council requests the UN Security Council to do the same; 17. Decides to remain seized of the matter.