New UN resolution on Darfur represents small step in right direction

– Contact: Ann-Louise Colgan (202) 546-7961

Security Council Must Still Authorize UN Peacekeeping Mission in
Darfur; Urgency is Paramount as Conditions in Darfur Continue to
Deteriorate

Mar 27, 2006 (WASHINGTON, DC) — Africa Action today welcomed
the unanimous passage of a United Nations (UN) Security Council
resolution requesting more rapid planning for a proposed UN peacekeeping
operation in Darfur, Sudan. However, while the resolution recognized the
need for greater urgency in the planning process, the Security Council
has not yet committed to authorizing such a mission, and must now do so
in the coming weeks. As conditions in Darfur continue to deteriorate,
Africa Action emphasized the urgent need for a robust international
force to be deployed to Darfur to complement and reinforce the African
Union (AU) mission on the ground.

Ann-Louise Colgan, Director of Policy Analysis & Communications at
Africa Action, said today, “After months of hesitancy, the Security
Council has taken a step in the right direction by acknowledging the
need for urgency in the planning for a UN operation in Darfur. But this
will only mark real progress if it is followed next month by a decision
to authorize and deploy a UN mission to Darfur as soon as possible, to
provide security to vulnerable civilians and humanitarian operations.”

Friday’s Security Council resolution called upon UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan to present a range of options for a UN operation in Darfur by
April 24, 2006. Africa Action today reiterated its call for the U.S. and
the international community to prioritize the urgent protection needs of
the people of Darfur and to work with the African Union and other
stakeholders to overcome any obstacles to the rapid deployment of a UN
peacekeeping force to the region.

Marie Clarke Brill, Director of Public Education & Mobilization at
Africa Action, said today, “Friday’s Security Council resolution shows
that decision-makers are starting to respond to the demands of people
across this country and to the urgency of the situation in Darfur. But
this statement on the part of the Security Council is insufficient.
Nothing short of a resolution authorizing a UN peacekeeping force will
provide a tangible commitment from the U.S. and the international
community that they are prioritizing the people of Darfur.”

Africa Action emphasizes that a robust international protection force is
needed in Darfur to stop the violence, provide security to humanitarian
efforts, facilitate the stalled peace talks in Abuja, and ultimately
support the voluntary return of displaced people to their lands. The
organization notes the important contributions made by the AU’s mission
in Darfur, but continues to urge the international community to assert
its responsibility to protect the people of Darfur, and to authorize and
deploy a UN peacekeeping force to the region on an urgent basis.

For more information and analysis from Africa Action on the Campaign to
Stop Genocide in Darfur, see http://www.africaaction.org/darfur