Sudan intends to raise new objections on UN-AU force: Official
January 09, 2007 (UNITED NATIONS) – A senior Sudanese official warned that his government wants further discussion on issues relating to the status of the UN-AU force in Darfur.
Jean-Marie Guéhenno, the UN peacekeeping chief, revealed today that Sudan objected to the “rehatting” of African Union forces from green berets to the blue ones of the United Nations.
“It is a hybrid operation and not a traditional UN operation. The UN has no monopoly on this operation” Mohamed told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York today.
“This should be reflected in the way moves or express itself” he added.
A joint African-United Nations force took over peacekeeping duties in Darfur last week and existing AU forces switched their green berets to the UN blue ones. The transfer of authority has been largely symbolic.
Sudan has not signed off on the Status of Force (SAF) agreement that governs the work of the new force. It has refused to allow night flights — except for medical evacuation — or large U.N. cargo planes.
Additionally, the government has attempted to require the force to give it advance notice of all movements and to ensure that its military can scramble U.N. radio communications when it is conducting operations.
Sudan’s envoy also reiterated that his government will not accept any non-African troops unless all African options are exhausted.
Khartoum has refused to allow non-African units in Darfur including Swedish, Thai and Nepalese troops.
Today Sweden and Norway announced that they have dropped plans to send about 400 troops to the U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur because of opposition from Sudan’s government, a Swedish Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday.
Guéhenno briefed the council on the progress made on deploying the hybrid force in Darfur. He painted a bleak picture of the situation on the ground.
“We do not yet have guaranteed agreements from the (Sudanese) government on basic technical issues,” Guehenno told the council. “The mission itself will not have the personnel or assets in place to implement its mandate for many months, even in the best-case scenario.”
The UN official said that security situation on the ground in Darfur deteriorated since his last briefing. He accused the Sudanese army of being behind the attack on a UNAMID convoy this week.
Guéhenno told the Security Council that a local commander of the Sudanese armed forces had contacted UNAMID and taken responsibility for the attack but Sudan’s envoy denied the claim.
“They were not the government. Why we would do something like that?” Mohamed said.
The US condemned the attack and said it will seek an expansion of arms embargo against Sudan as well as a presidential statement from the UNSC. However Libya, the new president of the UNSC appears to be blocking the statement which requires unanimity from the 15 members.
However despite the report by Guéhenno there appeared to be little appetite for coercive measures against Sudan as reflected by statements of the US & UK envoy at the UNSC.
“This is a long term endeavor. I don’t think there is a simple solution to it. We will continue to press for action on all fronts” the UK envoy John Sawers said.
International experts estimate some 200,000 have died and over 2 million have been driven from their homes during 4-1/2 years of fighting in Darfur. Sudan puts the death toll from the conflict at just 9,000.
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John Amule de Lokolong
Sudan intends to raise new objections on UN-AU force: Official
I beleive that UN should have to castrate Sudan in such offenders,because AU will not at all as most of the AU members are moor,imagine the role that AU has played to end the conflict in Darfur,they did little really nothing at all,but UN has to operate on its choice with Northern ruler of Sudan if they wish to over come such problems.