UN report on Darfur peacekeeping must spur International action

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

August 4, 2006 (WASHINGTON, DC) — In a report released to the
United Nations (UN) Security Council this week, UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan presented the results of the recent UN and African Union (AU)
joint technical assessment mission to Darfur, and his recommendations
for the size and scope of a future UN peacekeeping operation for Darfur.
Africa Action welcomes the Secretary-General’s report and his calls for
the immediate strengthening of the current AU mission (AMIS) and the
deployment of a large, robust and mobile UN force. The organization
today summoned the United States to demonstrate its political will to
address this crisis by spurring Security Council action on the contents
of this report.

Africa Action continues to call for the U.S. to exert new pressure on
the government of Sudan to challenge its opposition to a UN force, and
to lead the Security Council to authorize, deploy and fully support the
necessary UN peacekeeping operation in Darfur.

Ann-Louise Colgan, Acting Co-Executive Director of Africa Action, said
today, “The road towards a multinational peacekeeping force for Darfur
has been laid out in detail by the Secretary-General this week. The U.S.
must now take the initiative to maintain this trajectory – it must take
new steps to challenge Khartoum’s stonewalling, and it must galvanize
new action on this crisis. With the release of this report, the U.S. and
other members of the international community have the opportunity to
demonstrate their commitment to protecting the people of Darfur, and
every step must be taken to break the international deadlock and achieve
a robust protection force on the ground now.”

While Secretary-General Annan in his report acknowledged the continuing
opposition of the government of Sudan to a transition to a UN force, he
noted that gaining the consent of Khartoum would require “continued
intensive discussions with Khartoum by Council members, by key member
states and regional organizations, as well as by the United Nations.”

Ann-Louise Colgan went on to say, “The Secretary General’s report
rightly and repeatedly highlights the need for international engagement
on this issue. International efforts have stalled in the face of
Sudanese government opposition, but such obstacles are far from
insurmountable. The U.S. has a particular responsibility and capacity to
take on these challenges, and now is the time to do so.”

Africa Action’s statement on “How the U.S. Can Break the Deadlock on
Darfur” is available here:
http://www.africaaction.org/newsroom/docs/LeverageonDarfur.pdf

The Secretary-General’s report emphasized the tenuous humanitarian
conditions and the continuing “cycle of terror” to which the people of
Darfur are subjected. He noted that insecurity has contributed to the
steady decline in the access of vulnerable populations to vital aid
operations, and that such operations are increasingly targeted. A UN
humanitarian affairs representative stated this week that more aid
workers have been killed in the past two weeks than in all the previous
years of the conflict.

The report also pointed to the hope embodied in the Darfur Peace
Agreement (DPA) signed on May 5, 2006, but he cautioned that many
challenges persist. In this context, he submitted that the mandate,
logistical support and troop numbers of AMIS must be strengthened during
the transition period before a UN deployment. The Secretary-General
recommended that the proposed UN operation could amount to as many as
24,000 personnel, comprising peacekeepers, civilian police and other
officials, and that its mandate should allow it to “take all action
necessary to protect civilians under imminent threat…and to deter,
including pre-emptively, potential spoilers through robust action.”
Africa Action welcomes this call for a robust mandate for a UN force in
Darfur, with a particular focus on protecting civilians and establishing
a stable and secure environment for humanitarian operations.

Africa Action’s current Darfur Escalation Strategy lays out a series of
tactics designed to increase the pressure on the U.S. in the coming
weeks to act rapidly to bring about a UN peacekeeping mission for
Darfur. Africa Action’s upcoming plans will feature a rally in Crawford,
Texas on August 20th, and a major mobilization outside the White House
on September 9th, to mark the second anniversary of the Bush
Administration’s recognition that what is happening in Darfur
constitutes genocide. The full strategy is available here:
http://www.africaaction.org/campaign_new/docs/PumpingUpthePowertoProtect2.pdf

The resource “Africa Action’s Talking Points on How to Stop Genocide in
Darfur, Sudan” is available here:
http://www.africaaction.org/newsroom/docs/TPs0607.pdf