UNMIS admits delay of Darfur Heavy Support Package
June 27, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) admitted on Wednesday that the implementation of the Heavy Support Package of a tripartite plan for Darfur was delayed due to logistics and environment reasons.
“So far, what I know is that we don’t have an actual deployment on the ground of personnel of the Heavy Support Package,” UNMIS spokesperson Radhia Achouri told a press conference.
The Heavy Support Package is the second phase of a plan worked out by the Sudanese government, the UN and the AU on purpose to deploy a hybrid peacekeeping force in the Darfur region torn by tribal conflicts and militia activities.
Achouri attributed the delay to the environment in Darfur, particularly the lack of water that would be used by people to be deployed there, as well as the security consideration.
“We are still in the process of trying to put in place the requirements for the actual hosting of the people that are supposed to be deployed” according to the Heavy Support Package, Achouri noted.
“We have difficulties of a logistics nature there but we are trying our best to make sure that this deployment takes place in the timeline that was scheduled for it,” the spokesperson added.
Some 3000 soldiers and civilian staff will be sent by the UN to the region in the framework of the Support Package, before the UN and the AU can inaugurate the hybrid peacekeeping operation, which is the third and the last phase of the tripartite plan.
Last month, the United States announced a new series of sanction measures against Sudan on the pretext that Khartoum was unwilling to let in the UN peacekeepers.
After a deal was reached between the Sudanese government, the UN and the AU on June 12 on the hybrid operation, Washington expressed its pessimism that the Sudanese government would commit itself to the deal.
(Xinhua)