U.N. Debates Deploying Force To Darfur

A U.S.-British draft resolution introduced Thursday would transfer peacekeeping in Sudan's conflict-wracked Darfur region from the African Union to a much larger and better equipped U.N. force, despite the Sudanese government's strong opposition.

The financially strapped African Union has requested to hand over peacekeeping to a more robust U.N. mission, but Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir remains staunchly opposed and has warned that Sudan's army would fight any U.N. forces sent to Darfur.

Britain's U.N. Ambassador, Emyr Jones Parry, stressed that no U.N. force will deploy in Darfur without the consent of the government.

"We know that the agreement of the government of Sudan is quite crucial," he said. "Our hope is that as we negotiate this text there will be clarity from the government of Sudan that ... a U.N. operation should take place, and that we should transition as soon as possible."

With the security situation in Darfur worsening and violence escalating, Jones Parry said he hopes the resolution can be adopted by the end of August.

U.S. deputy ambassador Jackie Sanders said the Sudanese government's consent is not required by the resolution, but "practically speaking, it's going to be useful to have the government on board to get this accomplished."

The resolution would replace the 7,000-strong African Union force with a U.N. peacekeeping mission of about 22,600 — comprising up to 17,300 troops, 3,300 international police officers, and 16 police units trained in riot and crowd control totaling about 2,000 officers.

Britain and the United States introduced the draft resolution at a closed Security Council meeting following a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Hedi Annabi, who told members that the security situation in Darfur had worsened since late June.

Annabi urged the council to consider re-engaging the Sudanese government about a U.N. force "given the urgency of the situation on the ground," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Sanders said a number of "high-level dialogues" are taking place, including from the United States, and Britain is sending an envoy to Khartoum to talk to al-Bashir.

Ghana's U.N. Ambassador Nana Effah-Apenteng, the current Security Council president, said he has invited all the major players to come to New York to meet the council. The Arab League and Organization of Islamic Conference have accepted in principle and he is waiting for replies from the African Union and Sudan's foreign minister.

The AU has said it cannot handle long-term peacekeeping in Darfur and wants its force replaced by better-equipped and better-funded U.N. peacekeepers. The AU's mandate runs out on Sept. 30, and its chief negotiator in Sudan, Sam Ibok, said earlier this week that the African Union would need more international funding and support if it is to stay in Darfur.

The draft resolution calls for the U.N. force to start to deploy by Oct. 1. In the interim, it asks Secretary-General Kofi Annan to strengthen the AU force, including with additional aircraft and ground transport.

Sudan's deputy U.N. ambassador Omar Bashir Manis questioned the Security Council's motives and said the resources to deploy a U.N. force should instead be spent on beefing-up the African Union force.

"I think the sending of the (U.N.) troops in itself is becoming the objective, not the stabilization and assistance of the Sudanese people to improve the situation in Darfur," Manis said. "The way we see (it), give the resources to the AU ... (which) was doing a good job."

A May peace agreement signed by the government and one of the major rebel groups was supposed to help end the conflict in Darfur. Instead, it has sparked months of fighting between rival rebel factions that has added to the toll of the dead and displaced.

Aid groups, the United Nations and beleaguered AU peacekeepers say rebel factions are seeking to gain advantage before peace upsets the status quo in a region where more than 200,000 people have been killed since 2003 when ethnic African tribes revolted against the Arab-led Khartoum government.

Annabi told the council that signatories and non-signatories were violating the peace agreement, and the Sudanese government's plan to bring stability to Darfur "appears to show determination to pursue a major military offensive in the region," Dujarric said.

Jones Parry stressed that a U.N. force would be deployed to support implementation of the peace agreement and the government's efforts "to bring an improvement to the humanitarian situation and thereby to the political development of Darfur — no other motive whatever."

The section of the draft resolution dealing with the U.N. force is under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which authorizes the use of "all necessary means" including military action to implement its mandate.

The draft would authorize the U.N. force, under Chapter 7, to protect U.N. personnel and facilities, "to prevent disruption of the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement by armed groups," to protect civilians under threat of physical violence, and to seize and dispose of arms that are in Darfur in violation of the peace agreement.

The United Nations already has a peacekeeping force in southern Sudan monitoring a January 2005 peace agreement that ended a 21-year civil war between the government and southern rebels. It has a similar mandate — with just one section under Chapter 7 — but the government vehemently opposes any Chapter 7 reference regarding Darfur.

Jones Parry said Khartoum's perceptions of Chapter 7 "are not soundly based — but the fact is they have concerns."