US, UN say Darfur peacekeepers need water

April 23, 2008 (WASHINGTON) — U.S. and United Nations officials said Wednesday that peacekeepers in the Darfur region of Sudan are limited by some of the factors feeding the conflict — problems over access to land and water.

The U.N. is trying to field a joint U.N.-African Union force agreed to by Sudan. But so far only about 9,000 of the authorized 26,000 peacekeepers have been deployed.

Jane Holl Lute, a senior U.N. official who overseas the organization’s field operations, told lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that peacekeepers need bases with access to water before the full force can be deployed.

Lute said that the full force would consume a large amount of water in a very dry region and would have to share it with local inhabitants.

“We are aware that this is at the heart of so much of the privation in the region,” she said.

The U.S. special envoy to Sudan, Richard Williamson, who also testified to the panel, blamed the government of Sudan for the U.N. and African Union predicament.

“The government of Sudan has delayed the mission’s expansion by limiting access to land,” he said.

More than 200,000 people have been killed in the Darfur conflict and more than 2 million are displaced from their homes, according to U.N. figures. Fighting has raged since 2003 when ethnic African tribesman took up arms, complaining of decades of neglect and discrimination by the Arab-dominated Sudanese government in Khartoum.

The two officials heard frustration from lawmakers about the slow pace of instituting the force in the region and of acquiring the necessary helicoptors for its operations. The U.N. has said that it still lacks five critical capabilities to become operational — attack helicopters, surveillance aircraft, transport helicopters, military engineers and logistical support.

“It’s very hard for me or anyone to understand why we can’t get 25 helicopters or whatever we need on the ground,” said Democratic Sen. Robert Casey.

(AP)