TEXT – AU Security Council maintains troops in Darfur for six months

Mar 11, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — The African Union Peace and Security Council decided Friday 10 March to extend its peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s Darfur region for six months to give itself time to negotiate a peace agreement.

Also, it promised to transfer control to the United Nations once that is accomplished.

Below the full text of the AU PSC decision:

– AFRICAN UNION
– PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL
– 46TH MEETING
– 10 MARCH 2006
– ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

-PSC/MIN/Comm.(XLVI)

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 46th meeting, held on 10 March 2006, adopted the following decision on the situation in Darfur,

Council,

1. Takes note of the Report of the Chairperson pursuant to paragraph 5 of the PSC Communiqué PSC/PR/Comm.(XLV) of 12 January 2006 on the situation in Darfur[PSC/MIN/2(XLVI)];

2. Decides to support in principle the transition from AMIS to a UN Operation, within the framework of the partnership between AU and the United Nations in the promotion of peace, security and stability in Africa;

3. Decides to extend the mandate of AMIS until 30 September 2006 to undertake the following:

? contribute to the improvement of the general security situation, provide a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the return of IDP and refugees, and contribute to the protection of the civilian population in Darfur,

? monitor and observe the compliance of the parties with the N’djamena Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement of 8 April 2004 and the Abuja Protocols of 9 November 2004 and all such agreements in the future, and

? assist in the process of confidence building;

4. Decides that, during the period mentioned above, every effort should be made to (a) ensure the early conclusion of a peace agreement at the ongoing 7th Round of the Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks that opened in Abuja since 29 November 2005, (b) improve the security, humanitarian and human rights situation on the ground, and (c) address the crisis in the relations between Chad and Sudan:

a) In order to achieve the conclusion of a peace agreement at the Abuja Peace Talks, Council:

i) Demands that the parties demonstrate their commitment to bring the conflict in Darfur to an end by making rapid progress on the outstanding issues at the Talks, as they relate to power sharing, wealth sharing and security arrangements,

ii) Urges the facilitators and the observers at the Abuja Peace Talks to lend a closer cooperation to the AU Mediation Team and to intensify their efforts to persuade the Sudanese parties to make compromise on the outstanding issues,

iii) Stresses the need for increased engagement at the highest level by African leaders and other stakeholders, to bring the parties to honour their commitments and negotiate in good faith with a view to ending violence in Darfur and concluding a peace agreement by the end of April 2006,

b) In order to improve the security, humanitarian and human rights situation, Council:

i) Requests the Commission to immediately take all necessary steps for the consistent, flexible, broad and robust interpretation of the mandate provided for in paragraph 3 above and the tasks deriving thereof as spelt out in Communiqué PSC/PR/Comm.(XVII) adopted at its 17th meeting held on 20 October 2004 and in light of the Conclusions [MSC/EXP/Con.(III)] of the 3rd meeting of the Military Staff Committee (MSC) held on 25 April 2005 as endorsed by the 28th meeting of the PSC held on 28 April 2005 [PSC/PR/Comm.(XXVIII)], in order to ensure a more forceful protection of the civilian population,

ii) Further requests the Commission to vigorously pursue its efforts towards reaching, as quickly as possible, the authorized strength of AMIS i.e. 6,171 military personnel, with an appropriate civilian component, including up to 1,560 police personnel,

iii) Also requests the Commission to take all necessary steps for the full implementation of the recommendations made by the AU-led Assessment Mission that visited Darfur from 10 to 20 December 2005, in order to enhance the capacity of AMIS in the short and medium terms, in particular with respect to operational and tactical planning, command and control, protection of civilians, joint operations management, training, use of personnel and civil military coordination,

iv) Demands that the parties cease all acts of violence and atrocities on the ground, particularly those committed against the civilian population, humanitarian workers and agencies and AMIS personnel, and to fully comply with their commitments under the N’djamena Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement of 8 April 2004 and the Abuja Protocols on Humanitarian and Security Issues of 9 November 2004, as well as with the decisions of the Joint Commission and relevant resolutions and decisions of the United Nations Security Council and the PSC. In particular, Council, once again, demands that:

? the Government of the Sudan refrains from conducting hostile military flights in and over the Darfur region, expeditiously implement its stated commitment to neutralize and disarm the Janjaweed/armed militias, and identify and declare those militias over whom it has influence and ensure that these militias refrain from all attacks, harassment and intimidation,

? the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) provide AMIS with the required information to enable it determine clearly the sites occupied by the forces on the ground, ensure the security of commercial activities in the areas occupied by their forces and, regarding specifically the SLM/A, withdraw its forces from contentious areas such as Graida,

v) Urges the parties to cooperate fully with AMIS and to do all in their power to guarantee the safety of the members of the Mission to enable it to effectively discharge its mandate and guarantee AMIS and the humanitarian agencies unrestricted access,

vi) Urges the parties, pending the conclusion of a peace agreement, to contain the ever-deteriorating security situation on the ground by agreeing to the enhanced Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement proposed to them by the AU-led Mediation Team, which, among others, provides for the strengthening of the mandates of the existing Ceasefire and Joint Commissions,

vii) In the interim, authorizes the AU Commission to convene an emergency Joint Commission meeting in Addis Ababa, to be chaired by the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission to the Sudan, to further deliberate on the precarious security situation and take the necessary and appropriate measures against any party that is found responsible for the escalation of violence and tension in Darfur,

viii) Appeals to the international community to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the affected population in Darfur, as well as to the refugees and host communities in Chad,

ix) Urges the Government of the Sudan and the rebel movements, to cooperate with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as called for by UN Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005) of 31 March 2005 and to take all necessary steps to combat impunity to ensure lasting peace and reconciliation in Darfur, and requests the Commission to cooperate with the ICC,

c) In order to effectively address the crisis in the relations between Chad and Sudan, Council:

i) Urges the Government of Chad and Sudan to fully implement the commitments made and to facilitate the work of the existing mechanisms that have been agreed upon in the Declaration and Agreement signed in Tripoli in February 2006. Council endorses the Tripoli Declaration and the Agreement,

ii) Requests the Facilitators of the Tripoli Agreement to remain actively engaged in the efforts to defuse the tension on the ground and normalize the relations between Chad and the Sudan and ensure the effective functioning of the existing mechanisms agreed upon in the Tripoli Declaration and Agreement,

iii) Further requests the Commission to take all necessary steps and extend all necessary assistance to contribute to the implementation of the Tripoli Declaration and Agreement. Council also requests the Commission to prepare and submit proposals on how best AMIS can assist in the implementation of the Tripoli Declaration and Agreement, including the necessary adjustment to its current mandate;

5. Reiterates that, given the progress made in the initial stabilization phase of Darfur and the ongoing efforts to conclude a peace agreement, steps should be taken to sustain the peace support operation in Darfur in 2006 and beyond, bearing in mind the requirements for an increased integration of the different aspects of the peace efforts. In this respect, Council welcomes the adoption by the Security Council, on 3 February 2006, of Presidential Statement S/PRST/2006/5 commending the efforts of the AU and requesting the Secretary-General to initiate contingency planning without delay, in close and continuing consultation with the Security Council, and in cooperation and close consultation with the parties to the Abuja Peace Talks, including the Government of National Unity, on a range of options for a possible transition from AMIS to a UN operation. Council takes note of the announcement by the Sudanese Government that Sudan is prepared to accept the deployment of a UN operation in Darfur after and as part of the conclusion of a peace agreement at the Abuja Talks. Consequently, Council requests the Chairperson of the Commission to continue his consultations with the United Nations, the Government of Sudan and other stakeholders on the modalities of the transition. Council further requests the Chairperson of the Commission to work closely with the United Nations Secretary-General on joint planning towards that end;

6. Stresses that the transition from AMIS to a UN operation in Darfur should be informed by the following:

? The preparedness of the Government the Sudan to accept the deployment of a UN operation in Darfur,

? That the decision on the mandate and size of any future UN peacekeeping operation in Darfur is informed by the evolving situation on the ground. In this respect, a successful outcome of the Abuja Peace Talks and a significant improvement in the security and humanitarian situation on the ground will be key factors in any decision by the UN Security Council on the nature of the peacekeeping operation in Darfur,

? That the African character of the mission, including through its composition and leadership, is maintained in order, as much as possible, to secure the cooperation of all the parties, which is necessary to achieve a lasting solution to the conflict in Darfur,

? That the lead role of the African Union in the overall Darfur peace process is maintained, including the conduct of the Abuja Peace Talks and the Darfur-Darfur dialogue and consultation provided for by the Declaration of Principles (DoP) signed in Abuja on 5 July 2005, as well as in the implementation of existing and future agreements between the parties,

? That, during and after the transition, consultations are maintained between the AU and UN, including between the PSC and the UN Security Council, as well as between the Chairperson of the Commission and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, particularly prior to any decision by the UN Security Council regarding the envisaged UN peacekeeping operation in Darfur;

7. Recommends the establishment of a Committee of Heads of States and Government, including the Current Chairman of the AU, the immediate past Chairman, the Chairperson of the PSC, and the Chairperson of the Commission, as well as any other Head of State and Government the Current Chairman of the AU may wish to involve, to engage the Sudanese authorities and other stakeholders on how best to expedite the peace process in Darfur and on the transition;

8. Reiterates its appeal to the AU partners to provide all the necessary financial and logistical support to sustain AMIS until 30 September 2006, as well as support the ongoing Abuja Talks. In this respect, Council welcomes the envisaged convening of a pledging conference in Brussels, with the support of the United Nations and the European Union;

9. Calls for an immediate end to all acts aimed at inciting demonstrations against the international community, in particular the United Nations, as well as to the unacceptable and defamatory characterization of AMIS;

10. Emphasizes the critical role of the United Nations Security Council in holding accountable those impeding the peace process and committing human rights violations;

11. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.