Annan says timing critical for Darfur aid
May 15, 2006 (LONDON) — Rich nations must provide immediate funding for the African Union mission in Darfur to ensure the success of a peace deal to end three years of war in western Sudan, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday.
One of three Darfur rebel factions and the Sudanese government signed a peace agreement on May 5 in Abuja, Nigeria, to end the conflict responsible for what Annan called “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis”.
But news of the agreement has sparked violent protests in Sudan by refugees who say it does not go far enough to protect them, and opposition and government critics who say parties were forced to sign an ill-considered deal under pressure.
In an editorial in Monday’s Financial Times, Annan said peace in Darfur was fragile and there was “no time to lose”. He said the only guarantor of security there, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), needed immediate help.
“Right now, there is only one force on the ground that can even begin to provide protection: AMIS. Therefore, our immediate priority must be to strengthen that force, so that it can move ahead with implementing the agreement and providing real security for the displaced people,” he wrote.
The African Union Peace and Security Council was to meet in Addis Ababa on Monday to discuss the next step in Darfur. The United Nations and western nations want the AU to turn over the Darfur peacekeeping operation to U.N. troops.
Sudan had rejected the proposal saying until there was a peace agreement for Darfur it would not allow in U.N. troops. European Union officials said last week in Brussels it now seemed Sudan was reconsidering allowing U.N. troops at all.
Annan said the AU mission should be turned over to the United Nations as soon as possible. But until then, he said the AU troops needed extra resources to implement the Abuja deal.
The United Nations would likely hold a pledging conference in Brussels in early June, Annan said.
“But I appeal to donors not to wait for that conference. They need to be very generous, starting now. We cannot afford to lose a single day,” he wrote.
Rebels took up arms against the government in early 2003 accusing Khartoum of neglecting the arid region. Khartoum responded by arming Arab militias known locally as Janjaweed to put down the rebellion.
Tens of thousands of people have died and more than 2 million have fled their homes to refugee camps in Sudan and neighbouring Chad to escape the violence. Aid workers have said despite the pressing need, donor funding has diminished.
“Right now the region is facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Without massive and immediate support, relief agencies will be unable to continue their work and hundreds of thousands of people will die from hunger,” Annan said.
The text of the Editorial : Darfur: The next urgent steps
(Reuters)