Sudan: No right for African Union mission transfer to UN
Sept 4, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan said Monday that the African Union has no right to transfer its peacekeeping mission in Darfur to the U.N. and must leave the war-torn western region by month’s end.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Jamal Ibrahim said that the AU had already indicated that it couldn’t continue its presence in Darfur beyond Sept. 30.
“If they are unable to continue with their assignment in Darfur beyond September 30, then they have to leave before that date. At the same time, they have no right to transfer this assignment to the U.N. or any other body. This right rests only with the government of the Sudan,” he said.
The government, which Thursday rejected a U.N. Security Council resolution for the deployment of a 20,000-strong U.N. force in troubled Darfur, about a week ago launched a major offensive reportedly involving thousands of troops and janjaweed militia in the northern part of Darfur.
It is aimed against rebels who refused to sign a U.S.-brokered peace deal in May aimed at ending three years of conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million others.
The ill-equipped and underfunded AU force of 7,000 troops has been unable to stop the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur, where the peace deal signed by the government and one of the three ethnic African rebel groups operating in the region has had little effect.
The AU has called for the U.N. to take control of the peacekeeping force, whose formal mandate expires on Sept. 30. But Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has maintained steadfast hostility to the presence of the U.N. force, instead offering to send 10,000 government troops to Darfur.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman said the government would pursue its own plans to pacify Darfur.
“Sudan will proceed with implementation of the Darfur peace agreement according to its own plan to restore security and stability in the region,” he said.
AU spokesman Noureddine Mezni said Khartoum hadn’t yet informed the AU of its decision.
“Up to now, we have not been notified by the government therefore we can’t comment on this at present,” he said.
The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 when ethnic African tribes revolted against the Arab-led Khartoum government. The government is accused of unleashing Arab militiamen known as janjaweed who have been blamed for widespread atrocities.
U.N. officials and aid workers say the crisis has only deepened in recent months, with rape, killings and other attacks in Darfur at a new high. The U.N. has warned of hundreds of thousands of deaths if aid operations collapsed. Twelve aid workers have been killed in Darfur this year, most in the last two months.
The Sudanese official news agency SUNA, meanwhile, quoted President al-Bashir as saying U.N. attempts to deploy peacekeepers was a bid by the international community to take over his country.
“Our decision is decisive rejection (of the U.N. resolution) then preparation for the confrontation (with the UN forces),” SUNA quoted him as saying Sunday.
(AP/ST)