UK genocide prevention charity urges UN to protect Darfurians
As Darfur runs out of funding for protection, Security Council should not be negligent
Jan 13, 2006 (LONDON) — Ahead of today’s meeting at the UN Security Council on Sudan the UK Genocide Prevention Charity, Aegis Trust, issued a statement to UN Security Council members urging them to bolster protection measures in the region. The statement is pasted below:
With the UN Security Council set to discuss the continuing crisis in Darfur this Friday (13th January 06), the UK genocide prevention charity, Aegis Trust, is reiterating its call for funding for the African Union mission in Darfur (AMIS) to be urgently addressed.
Ambassador Djinnit, African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, made clear on the 16th of December that AMIS is to run out of funds by the end of March or early April with a shortfall of $135 million out of the $460 million required. Meanwhile Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations made clear on the 23rd of December that “large-scale attacks against civilians continue, women and girls are being raped by armed groups, yet more villages are being burned, and thousands more are being driven from their homes”. He said, ?everything possible should be done to sustain and strengthen the AU Mission and to further enhance the protection efforts throughout the region’.
The African Union has undertaken its operations in Darfur despite inadequate funding to fulfil an insufficient mandate. The 6,848 African Union personnel of AMIS have calmed limited areas of the region; however their patches of success diminished the sense of urgency within the international community. The Canadians donation of 105 APCs was a helpful contribution but still, on 6th January, an attack on an AMIS convoy left one peacekeeper dead and 10 others injured. In his latest report on Darfur, Kofi Annan highlighted recent attacks on civilians by militias in the proximity of AU forces. The continuing weakness of AMIS is clearly not lost on the Janjaweed.
Now the conflict is spreading to Chad. On 9th January, the Chair of the AU Commission, Alpha Konare, warned that, ?This is a conflict that could destabilise the entire region – Sudan, Chad, West and Central Africa – through the DR Congo and even the Great Lakes region’.
A Parliamentary Motion signed by 57 MPs, tabled by the Rt. Hon. Clare Short MP (former International Development Secretary of State), urges the British Government “both to put the issue before the Security Council and to lobby the European Union, US and other donors effectively so that this shortfall in funding can be met forthwith”. The UK Ambassador to the UN, Emyr Jones Parry, last week stated that, ?We really have now to prepare to make sure there’s a total continuity of involvement by the international community’.
Commenting on the funding shortfall, Dr. James Smith, the Executive Director of the Aegis Trust stated: “From the outset the International Community has focused attention on the stalled peace talks for Darfur, but left the protection of civilians as the lowest priority. This has already led to detrimental consequences. Not only do civilians continue to die, and several million live in fear and terror; it is this insecurity and neglect by international players that causes grief among the rebel groups. In turn this undermines the efforts to promote a political settlement in Abuja [where the peace talks are held between the Government of Sudan and rebel groups], in which the international community places so much store.”
On Friday the Security Council may decide that the security operation in Darfur could transfer to the UN if the AU wishes. This would improve the funding stream for the protection mission but a transfer to the UN will take the best part of 2006 to implement. So even if the AU hands over to the UN, it remains imperative that the AU is urgently given sufficient funding and logistical support to strengthen its operations.
Security is paramount more than ever before. Lack of protection will prevent farmers planting their crops for the fourth consecutive year; already over 3 million people are dependent on food aid in Darfur. If neighbouring states become involved in the conflict because we let it simmer on, cross-border conflict will precipitate a famine on top of the crimes against humanity. It will be almost impossible to retrieve the situation.
“Allowing a security void in Darfur this year will be nothing short of negligent of the Security Council Members. Security must be bolstered as a matter of urgency” said Dr Smith.
Ends.
For more information contact David Brown, Aegis Trust Media Office, email: [email protected]