South African general appointed as deputy commander of Darfur peace mission
May 30, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Darfur peacekeeping hybrid force announced yesterday the arrival of a new deputy force commander replacing a controversial Rwandan general.
This is Maj. Gen. Dumisani’s third stint in the field of international peacekeeping. He served with an African Union force in Burundi (AMIB) in 2002 and then with the United Nations force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) between 2005 and 2007.
General Dumisani said he plans to focus on tackling UNAMID’s enormous logistical and deployment challenges, as well as overall security issues, while serving with the Mission.
“If you want to have a Mission up and running at its full force, then you have got to resolve the problems of logistics and deployment,” he said after his arrival today.
The peacekeeping mission despite the arrival of may troops still facing difficulties to reach the authorized 26,000 troops. Also, the mision needs 24 helicopters including 18 transport and six tactical helicopters to operate effectively across the Darfur region.
Only Ethiopia has agreed to provide the hybrid operation with 5 tactical helicopters.
Dumisani, who succeeds Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Karenzi of Rwanda as Deputy Force Commander, will formally begin his duties on 31 May.
Last year the UN requested Rwanda to nominate another general to replace Karenzi who had been indicted by a Spanish court along with 39 other Rwandan officers last February for war crimes allegedly committed in the mid-1990s.
The Rwandan government threatened to withdraw its troops stationed in Darfur Karenzi was removed from his post in the AU-UN hybrid force.
The US administration last June urged the UN to renew the contract of the Rwandan general, Sudan also supported the Karenzi.
(ST)