UN Security Council must act on “Dire” situation in Darfur
AFRICA ACTION
PRESS RELEASE
Deteriorating Security & Humanitarian Conditions Require Urgent International Action; Khartoum’s Objections to UN Peacekeeping Force Must be Challenged & Overcome
June 28, 2006 (WASHINGTON, DC) – Ahead of this weekend’s
African Union (AU) Summit, Africa Action today responded to the United
Nations (UN) Security Council’s new report on its visit to Darfur, which
emphasizes the urgency of the security situation and the broad consensus
on the need for a UN peacekeeping mission to reinforce the AU operation
in Darfur. Africa Action calls on AU leaders and on the members of the
UN Security Council to challenge Khartoum’s opposition to a UN force in
Darfur and to assert the international community’s responsibility to
protect the people of Darfur from the ongoing genocide.
Ann-Louise Colgan, Acting Co-Executive Director of Africa Action, said
today, “There is broad-based consensus on the urgent need for a UN
peacekeeping mission to protect civilians and humanitarian operations
and to supplement the AU in Darfur. As Khartoum continues to terrorize
the people of Darfur and to hold hostage the international response, it
is past time to break out of this deadly stalemate. The AU and the UN
Security Council must bring all necessary pressure to bear, and must
challenge and overcome the Sudanese government’s opposition. The people
of Darfur should be the top priority, and their urgent needs must drive
urgent international action on this crisis.”
This week, the UN Security Council noted the “dire” security and
humanitarian crisis in Darfur, and the inadequacy of the AU mission’s
size, mandate and capacity. As the AU again confirmed its strong support
for a UN operation in Darfur, Africa Action emphasized the need for the
Security Council to authorize and deploy a robust UN peacekeeping
mission to Darfur as quickly as possible. In order to address the
immediate need to strengthen the AU force in Darfur in the meantime,
Africa Action urges the UN Security Council to “re-hat” the African
Union as the initial contingent of the UN mission in Darfur, providing
it with a strong new mandate from the international community, and with
new financial and logistical support pending a larger UN deployment.
Marie Clarke Brill, Acting Co-Executive Director of Africa Action, said
today, “The U.S. has an obligation to invest every effort in addressing
and defeating Khartoum’s objections to a UN force, and concerned
citizens across the U.S. await new action on this front. The clear path
to achieving protection for the people of Darfur is to overcome
remaining obstacles to a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur, and to
approve and deploy such a mission immediately, and this should be a top
foreign policy priority for this Administration at this critical moment,
as the genocide continues in Darfur.”
Africa Action’s latest policy statement “Next Steps on Darfur” is
available at:
http://www.africaaction.org/newsroom/index.php?op=read&documentid=1905&type=15&issues=1024
Contact: Ann-Louise Colgan (202) 546-7961