Peace in Darfur is the major challenge – joint envoy
August 21, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The AU-UN Joint Special Representative for Darfur, said that the deployment of troops in western Sudan will poses some technical problems. However he reminded that “the major challenge is to realize peace.”
In an interview with Radio Sawa, Mr. said “the major challenge is to achieve peace. A comprehensive peace has to be reached, and then the United Nations, African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) will start to implement the agreement on the ground.”
Below is the text of the interview he gave to Radio Sawa on Sunday 19 August, 2007.
– Could you tell us about your three-day tour of Darfur?
Ans: the purpose of that tour was to get acquainted with the situation on the ground. In fact, it was my first visit to the region since my appointment as AU-UN Joint Special Representative. Given that the Headquarters of UNAMID will be located in the region itself, the tour was very significant. I met with local authorities, assessed the situation in IDPs camps, met with the IDPs and our troops already deployed in the region, and also with the humanitarian community and civil society organizations.
– what is the next step of your mission?
Ans: the next step is to create an appropriate atmosphere for our task in the region and to gather the required number of peacekeepers. In this regard, arrangements are going on at both the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa and the UN Headquarters in New York. I mean, we are at the stage of structuring the mission UNAMID which was established in accordance with resolution 1769.
– How long will these operations take?
Ans: According to the resolution, we have to deploy the vanguards of the troops in early October and the operations will be finalized at the end of December when the UNAMID is scheduled to take over from AMIS in the region.
– Do you think that the situation on the ground can wait until the troops are deployed?
Ans: The deployment of the troops requires some time, because it involves deploying 26,000 peacekeepers. It is not possible to deploy thousands of troops quickly.
– How will this force be formed? Will it actually be joint, and what are the required standards?
Ans: Establishment of the force and the related standards is the responsibility of the UN. Everybody knows that the UN has conducted such operations several times. The UN also has a comprehensive system, developed over decades, to assess the troops before they are deployed.
Let us be mindful of the fact that we are about to implement a resolution issued by the UN Security Council.
– Do you think you have actually got the required number of troops?
Ans: African countries have committed themselves to take part in the Hybrid Operation and presently those troops should be assessed first to know whether they comply with the required standards, and then we can tell if we’ve got the required number or not.
The commitments of African countries to contribute additional troops to the force already on the ground (around 7000) would definitely make most of the force of African character. There are other countries which committed themselves to provide support and assistance. Sweden, for instance, said it was ready to send engineers. There are Chinese engineers who have already started to arrive. Other Asian countries also pledged to send additional troops. Therefore, the matter is just a traditional peacekeeping operation. However, we hope that the African character of the force will be predominant as stipulated by the UNSC resolution. This doesn’t mean the force will not include non-Africans
– How will the troops be assessed?
Ans: The troops are assessed by the UN system, then they are either accepted or rejected. There is a comprehensive UN system, developed over decades, for assessing the troops before they are deployed.
– Do you believe that the African troops meet the required standards?
Ans: Definitely, for African troops have been involved in all UN Peacekeeping Operations throughout the world – such as in Kosovo and other places. The problem is not which continent should these troops come from, but it is that they should largely be African.
– What is the biggest challenge you are facing now?
Ans: I believe the greatest challenge now is the location of the region. We will face great troubles in transporting our troops, because the region lies 2000 kilometers from the nearest port. This is what has been affirmed by the division entrusted with assessing the operations of the joint mission, which also set the annual cost of the operation at more than 2.5 billion US Dollars. However, these are technical challenges that we can easily overcome.
But the real problem is to achieve peace; that is what the region needs. What I mean here is that Darfurians should achieve a comprehensive peace, because our task in the region is to provide the required support for implementing the agreement. The biggest barrier or challenge is the peace agreement, which the UN and AU Special Representatives to Darfur, Mr. Jan Eliasson and Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim are trying to achieve through the forthcoming negotiations between the parties to the conflict. If their task is a success, the issues of the region will be resolved.
– What is your role before and during the negotiations?
Ans: Of course all of us will be working for a common goal. After achieving a peace agreement, the mission of Salim and Eliasson will be over and then the task will be transferred for the Joint Mission entrusted with monitoring the implementation of the agreement. What is important is for everybody to respect the provisions of the agreement, which I believe will be reached before the end of this year, that is, before the Hybrid Operation is fully deployed.
– Will you take part in the negotiations?
Ans: Sure. I will take part in some sessions. But the negotiations will be primarily overseen by Salim and Eliasson.
(ST)