UN Draft for Darfur peacekeepers
By William M. Reilly
July 13, 2007 (UNITED NATIONS) — Britain, France, Ghana and the United States have circulated a draft resolution in the Security Council for a hybrid African Union-U.N. Mission in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region of nearly 20,000 troops and up to 6,700 police.
However, even after approval by the panel of 15, the force would not be completely deployed until next year in the arid area traumatized by more than four years of conflict.
An estimated 2.5 million people have been displaced and another 200,000 people are believed to have died because of warring between government and militia and, now, about a dozen rebel groups.
The proposed measure, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities, was circulated Wednesday and allows the use of force under the U.N. Charter’s Chapter VII. A copy of it was obtained by United Press International.
Carrying the weight of international law, it has to be approved by the Council before troops can be recruited.
It specifically requested a halt to attacks on the AU troops, civilians “and humanitarian agencies, their staff and assets, and relief convoys,” in light of a recent raft of attacks on non-governmental organizations.
If approved, the mandate would be for the joint mission “to protect civilians under threat of physical violence … support early and effective implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement among the government and various rebel groups … to prevent attacks and threats against civilians” and seize illicit arms “or related material.”
The total number of troops “shall consist of up to 19,555 military personnel, including 360 military observers and liaison officers, and an appropriate civilian component including up to 3,772 police personnel and 19 formed police units comprising up to 140 personnel each.” It would include the 7,000 strong AU troops already in Darfur.
An appeal was also made in the text for support of the bedraggled AU force, believed nearly broken.
The draft also delineates a chain of command with the United Nations at the top but AU commanders in control of day-to-day operations. U.N. brass would step in only when they disagree with AU tactics or policy.
“There will be unity of command and control, which, in accordance with basic principles of peacekeeping, means a single chain of command, and (the Council) further decides that command and control structures and backstopping will be provided by the United Nations,” says the draft measure.
The civilian side of the mission also will be a joint operation.
The AU-U.N. joint special representative for Darfur is Rodolphe Adada, who will work with the joint force commander, Martin Agwai.
The proposal calls on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to immediately begin deployment of the command and control structure and systems necessary for a transfer of authority from the African mission to the hybrid mission.
The draft calls all parties involved, including Sudan, to facilitate deployment first of the U.N. light and heavy support packages for the AU Mission and then prepare for the joint AU-U.N. mission and for U.N. member states to contribute troops and police to the joint mission within 30 days of adopting the resolution.
Ban and AU Commission Chairman Omar Konare are to agree on final composition of the military component of the joint operation within the same timeframe and to establish a headquarters another 60 days later. Only then will deployment of hybrid elements begin, but with “transfer of authority from AMIS to UNAMID” no later than the end of this year.
The draft resolution also points out the United Nations’ “zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, including the development of strategies and appropriate mechanisms to prevent, identify and respond to all forms of misconduct … and the enhancement of training for personnel to prevent misconduct and ensure full compliance with the U.N. code of conduct.”
This was prompted by sex abuse and exploitation in recent years, most notably in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where more than 17,000 peacekeeping troops are stationed and a sex-for-eggs troops scandal broke.
The present draft also calls on troop-contributing countries to conduct awareness training pre-deployment and to take disciplinary action to ensure full accountability in cases of such sexual abuse involving their personnel.
Member states of the United Nations usually are responsible for policing their own troops through a status of forces agreement, rather than the country where the troops are operating. Frequently there is no working criminal justice system in conflict zones.
(UPI)