AU official visits Darfur to assess needs, eventual UN takeover
Mar 27, 2006 (EL FASHER) — An African Union delegation visited Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region to inspect AU peacekeeping force and to assess needs and plans for the handover to U.N. troops at the end of the next September.
The Deputy Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Patrick Mazimhaka, and a delegation comprising, Corentin Kidoulaye, the Head of the Darfur Integrated Task Force (DITF), on 26 March, 2006 concluded his two-day visit to Darfur.
In Al-Fasher the delegation inspected AU force. It was briefed by the command officers on the security and humanitarian situation, challenges, constraints and problems, logistics and administrative issues across the mission area, a press statement received from AMIS said.
Mazimhaka met with the Governor of North Darfur State and informed him that his visit to Darfur comes in the wake of the recent decision by the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) to support in principle the transition from AMIS to a UN Operation, within the framework of the partnership between the AU and the United Nations in the promotion of peace, security and stability in Africa. And that in this connection it was imperative to meet and discuss pertinent issues with all those concerned in Darfur in order to chart the way forward.
The North Darfur governor reiterated the current Sudanese stance that foreign forces were unwelcome on their territory and that to this effect only the African Union through AMIS could be trusted to bring about durable peace, security and normalcy in the troubled Darfur region.
Mazimhaka also, met the governor of South Darfur State in Nyala. He visited AU troops in the state.
Yesterday, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has so far rejected any such transition to the United Nations. He has said the government would only consider it if a peace deal is reached with Darfur rebels at negotiations in Nigeria’s capital Abuja.
The U.N. Security Council voted on Friday 24 March to speed planning for a new U.N. peacekeeping force to be sent to Sudan’s western Darfur region later this year to relieve underfinanced African Union troops.
A resolution adopted unanimously by the 15-nation council gave Secretary-General Kofi Annan until April 24 to prepare “a range of options for a United Nations operation in Darfur.”
But U.N. officials and council diplomats acknowledged they could not send in U.N. troops or even an assessment mission to help in the planning without the approval of the government of Sudan, and they encouraged Khartoum to cooperate in an eventual transition.
(ST)