A/HRC/33/65 national dialogue still needed to take place, subject to necessary assurances that the Government would allow an enabling environment, free of intimidation, arbitrary arrests and detention. 14. The Independent Expert calls upon the Government to create a conducive environment for a free and fair national dialogue and to ensure the active participation of all stakeholders with a view to advancing peace and reconciliation in the Sudan. 15. On 14 January 2016, the Government of the Sudan launched a major military operation against the Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdul Wahid positions in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur, accusing the rebel movement of looting and attacking civilians and military and commercial convoys in the area. The Independent Expert was concerned by the impact of the conflict on civilians in the light of allegations of human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law. He noted that there were at least 20,000 civilians who remained temporarily sheltered outside the UNAMID team site in the Sortoni area of Northern Darfur State. He calls upon the authorities of the Sudan, who bear the primary responsibility for the protection of human rights in Darfur, and all other parties to the conflict to respect the rights of the civilian population, including by taking proactive measures to deter attacks against civilians. 16. On a positive note, the Independent Expert commended the efforts being made by UNAMID, the African Union, the Government of Qatar and other partners to promote political dialogue between the Government of the Sudan and armed opposition movements under the framework of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur. He welcomed the signing by the Government of the Sudan in Addis Ababa in March 2016 of the road map agreement aimed at ending the conflicts in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. He urges the armed movements to put the interests of the people of Sudan first and to sign the road map agreement in order to bring peace and stability to the Sudan. 17. The Independent Expert welcomed the establishment of a sub-office of the National Human Rights Commission in Darfur in February 2016 as a positive step towards enhancing the capacity of the national human rights institution to undertake human rights monitoring and reporting in the Darfur region. He calls upon the Government of the Sudan to provide the support necessary to the National Human Rights Commission to expand its presence and activities in the other four Darfur States. 18. From 11 to 13 April 2016, a referendum was conducted to determine the administrative status of Darfur. The choice was between the current system of five states or one Darfur regional administration. On 14 April, the Darfur Referendum Commission announced that 97.27 percent of the voters had opted for Darfur to remain in its current administrative configuration of five states. Observers from the African Union and the League of Arab States monitored the conduct of the referendum. IV. Main human rights challenges 19. While the Independent Expert acknowledged the Government’s commitment and openness to a constructive dialogue during his visit, he was concerned about the subsisting human rights challenges raised in his previous report that the Government had still not addressed. These included the violations committed during the oil-subsidy demonstrations in September 2013, press censorship, harassment of human rights defenders and curtailment of activities of civil society organizations, restrictions on freedom of religion, as well as arrests and detention of student activists. 5