Some 75 local civil servants from eastern Chad have wrapped up a one-month United Nations-backed training programme aimed at boosting the number of professional magistrates in the strife-torn region, the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) announced today.

Participants from Ouaddai, Ennedi, Wadi Fira, Dar Sila and Salamat in eastern Chad concluded the first two training sessions on Thursday in Abéché.

The training, organized by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and MINURCAT, is expected to guarantee an impartial, independent and credible justice system in the region, where 256,700 Sudanese refugees from the Darfur conflict, 168,000 Chadian displaced persons and around 150,000 people in host villages live in close proximity.

"This is, by all means, an important step in the reinforcement of the justice system in eastern Chad," said the Secretary-General's Special Representative Victor Angelo.

MINURCAT, established by the Security Council in 2007, is mandated to protect civilians and refugees as well as promote human rights and peace in the troubled northeastern part of the CAR and eastern Chad.