African force in Darfur may stay past Sept 30
Sept 6, 2006 (WASHINGTON) — The African Union may keep its forces in Darfur beyond Sept. 30 if Sudan refuses to allow them to become part of a U.N. peacekeeping operation, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Wednesday.
Sudan has so far rejected a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for the creation of a U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur, where tens of thousands of people have died and more than 2.5 million have been displaced during a 3-1/2 year conflict that has spawned a severe humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations wants its peacekeeping force to replace and absorb the African Union’s 7,000-member contingent, whose mandate expires on Sept. 30 and whose efforts have been hampered by a lack of funds, equipment and logistical support.
Asked if Washington expected the African Union to extend its mandate beyond Sept. 30 if Sudan continued to reject a U.N. force, a senior U.S. official told reporters, “They’ll make their own decision, but I think it’s certainly a viable, live option for them.”
The official declined to be identified because he was discussing sensitive diplomatic matters.
It was unclear how the African Union force will fare without fresh funding and support.
The Security Council resolution passed on Aug. 31 calls for up to 22,500 U.N. troops and police officers and an immediate injection of air, engineering and communications support for the African Union force.
The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003, when non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government. In response, the government mobilized Arab militias known as Janjaweed, who have been accused of murder, rape and looting.
Fighting, disease and hunger have killed some 200,000 people and driven some 2.5 million into squalid camps.
The United States declared two years ago that genocide had occurred in Darfur but has had great difficulty stopping the violence. U.S. activists in recent weeks have tried to ratchet up pressure on the Bush administration to do more.
A spokesman for the Save Darfur Coalition, which includes about 170 religious, human rights and other groups, said former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was scheduled to speak at a Sept. 17 rally in New York to urge the international community to work harder to end the crisis.
(Reuters)