UN, AU chiefs resolve dispute over Darfur force command
June 6, 2007 (UNITED NATIONS) — The U.N. and African Union chief executives resolved a dispute over command of a proposed joint force to help end the bloodshed in Darfur. The two bodies sent the new agreement Wednesday to their respective security councils and to the Sudanese government for approval.
Whether the vague new language can satisfy potential contributors to a U.N.-AU force who want the United Nations to be in command, and the African Union and Sudanese government, which want the AU to play a major role, remains to be seen. The agreement appeared to be deliberately opaque to try to win approval from the three major players.
The proposed 23,000-strong hybrid force is the final phase of a three-stage U.N. plan to bolster the beleaguered 7,000-strong AU force now in Darfur, which has been unable to stop the four-year conflict. Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir agreed to the package in November but stalled acceptance of the first two phases and has backtracked on allowing U.N. troops in Darfur.
The U.N. announced on May 24 that the AU and U.N. had agreed on the proposal for the hybrid force, but the AU’s Peace and Security Council objected to language which referred to “unity of U.N. command and control.”
The revised proposal, agreed to by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and AU chief executive Alpha Oumar Konare, refers to “unity of command and control” as a basic principle of peacekeeping – eliminating the reference to the U.N.
But the new proposal adds language recalling the agreements reached in November by the two organizations, which were approved by Al-Bashir, that say “backstopping and command and control structures for the hybrid operation will be provided by the U.N.”
A senior U.N. official said technical agreements between the U.N. and the AU – which have not been made public – make clear that the U.N. retains overall operational control but delegates the day-to-day control of operations and decisions on deployment of troops to the commander of the AU force now on the ground. That commander will take command of the hybrid force.
The U.N. insists on operational control because it recruits, pays and administers the troops and they are accountable to U.N. authorities for their conduct on the ground. The U.N. also wants to make sure they are being used for tasks to carry out the U.N. Security Council’s mandate, the U.N. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the negotiations on the new proposal were private.
That, however, is not mentioned in the 31-page proposal which needs to be approved by the U.N. Security Council, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, and Al-Bashir’s government.
Officials from the AU, the U.N. and Sudan will meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on June 11-12, enabling the government to get explanations from the two organizations.
The U.N. Security Council will be briefed on the meeting June 13, a day before it heads to Africa on a trip that includes stops in Addis Ababa on June 15-16 and Khartoum on June 17, where additional discussions on the hybrid force are expected.
In a video news conference Wednesday, Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Lam Akol, said he expected the U.N. and African Union representatives meeting in Addis Ababa on June 11 to agree on a joint peacekeeping force of about 20,000.
At the same time, the foreign minister objected to economic sanctions announced last week by U.S. President George W. Bush, saying they were untimely in light of the progress toward agreement and will add “more people to the suffering in Darfur.”
The four-year conflict between ethnic African rebels and pro-government janjaweed militia in the vast western Darfur region has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million Darfurians.
Even though Sudan agreed months ago to the first phase of the U.N. plan – a light support package to beef up the AU force, including U.N. police advisers, civilian staff and additional resources and technical support – it is still not fully deployed. The U.N. is still seeking 27 military officers and 36 armored personnel carriers from member states, according to the report.
After five months of stalling, Al-Bashir gave the go-ahead for the second phase in mid-April – a “heavy support package” with 3,000 U.N. troops, police and civilian personnel along with aircraft and other equipment.
The U.N. and AU have accepted offers from two African countries and two non-African countries for engineering companies and other specialized units for the heavy support package, but they have not received any offers of transport and tactical helicopters, the senior U.N. official said.
The names of the four countries have been submitted to Sudan for approval and the U.N. official expressed hope that the first troops would arrive in August. Sudan has stated a preference for African troops.
Even if Sudan gives quick approval to the hybrid force, the senior U.N. official said it would not be on the ground in Darfur until next year.
For the U.N. and the AU, the hybrid operation is a new and difficult venture because of the need to coordinate all activities.
At the AU’s Darfur headquarters in El Fasher, African officers who sometimes wait for months for their back-pay and live in tents under the desert sun have voiced irritation at U.N. regulations imposed on them by the newcomers, who are having new housing containers blocks built for their accommodation.
There are also reports of other problems. For insurance purposes, U.N. red tape forbids any of its staff from traveling on an African vehicle or aircraft, preventing for instance U.N. aides to an AU officer from flying with him to meetings.
U.N. officials have appealed to potential contributors to help fund the AU operation so its troops can be paid.
(AP)