Rwanda supports UN takeover in Sudan’s Darfur

Oct 7, 2006 (KIGALI) — Rwandan government has expressed support to the United Nations forces takeover from the African Union troops in western Sudan, saying the transition should take place due to the lack of necessary means to accomplish a peacekeeping in war-torn region of Darfur.

Rwandan troops sing and dance in Camp Kanombe, in Kigali, prior to flying to Sudan’s western region of Darfur in 2004.

Foreign minister said Rwanda is backing the proposal to replace the AU peacekeeping force in the Sudan’s Darfur, with a UN force. Rwanda, which has about 2,000 soldiers among the AU mission in Darfur, says there is an urgent need to replace the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) due to the force’s increasing incapacity, occasioned by lack of funding.

“Rwanda strongly supports the deployment of UN troops in Darfur because the AMIS is losing capacity to contain the crisis due to lack of financial resources,” Foreign Minister Charles Muligande said on Wednesday. He explained the fact that most African countries were poor, meant that the funds contributed by member states were insufficient to finance the peacekeeping force, which is now about 7000. “Most of our countries are generally short of financial resources to support the (AU) mission,” the minister told Kigali based The New Times.

The minister said the European Union had delayed to disburse more funds for the mission, adding that UN forces should be allowed in to save the situation. “Member countries are very much willing to support AMIS, but they are poor, they have no funds to sustain the operations on ground,” he said, adding, “the costs strain national budgets of individual countries.”

Muligande also confirmed reports that the AU forces do not get their allowances, attributing the problem to the delays by the AU to submit financial reports to EU and other donors. Sources say that the troops at times spend three months without pay. According to information from AMIS, the arrears for July and August have just been cleared.

Muligande said this is not the first time the troops have experienced the problem of late payment.

“When the EU delivers money and it is finished, before they send more they always need to get a report on how the money was spent, and if there is a delay in the disbursement of more money, then automatically allowances will delay.”

He said such changes are normally communicated to political leaders, field commanders and troops.

The AU Mission is mandated to enforce a ceasefire agreement signed between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebel groups.

Kigali’s official support for a UN force in Darfur came at the time the special adviser to the UN secretary general on genocide prevention, Juan Mendez., was on a visit to Rwanda during which he met various officials including President Paul Kagame.

It also comes just days after President Kagame discussed the Darfur situation with the US Ambassador to Rwanda, Michael Arietti. The US, which described the killings in Darfur as genocide, is a strong advocate for a UN force in the warn-torn region.

(New Times/ST)