UNAMID chief’s performance scrutinized further by the UNSC

January 26, 2011 (WASHINGTON) – The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday appeared unhappy with the performance of the special joint representative of the UN-AU Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari for failing to effectively discharge the force’s mandate in the war ravaged region.

The world’s largest U.N.-funded peacekeeping mission is at 88% of its total 26,000 strength but says its job to secure the remote area is difficult in the absence of a peace deal between Khartoum and rebels who took up arms in 2003.

Furthermore, Khartoum which reluctantly agreed to the force has been placing obstacles and impediments to the deployment of troops and helicopters as well as delay in granting visas to members of the mission.

But the U.S. and other members of the UNSC suggested that UNAMID leadership is also to blame for shortcomings of Darfur peacekeepers.

“UNAMID is a Chapter 7 mission, with a robust protection of civilians mandate. And the United States view and the view of many members of the Council, as expressed today and on numerous previous occasions, is that we expect UNAMID, as one of the UN’s largest and most costly operations, with one of the most robust mandates passed by this Council, to be very active and, when necessary, aggressive, in fulfilling its mandate to protect civilians,” U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice told reporters following the briefing on Darfur.

“[W]e have been frustrated and dismayed by repeated instances of UNAMID being denied access in its freedom of movement restricted. And we have been pressing for months for UNAMID to fulfill the letter and spirit of its mandate, by ensuring that it is not finding itself negotiating questions of access, but ensuring that the access that it is due, as a Chapter 7 mission, it actually has,” Rice added.

Gambari who addressed the 15-nation council via video link, cited the restrictions imposed by Khartoum on the movement of UNAMID patrols describing it as “a challenge” to his mission as well as a hindrance to the efforts of aid agencies seeking access to scenes of recent fighting.

He emphasized that the mission had been able to get past these restrictions in some instances and failed in others, adding that the situation had improved since he ordered the mission’s patrols to “adopt a more robust posture and no longer create the perception of seeking permission for movement.”

Rice said she welcomed the decision to let Sudanese rebel and government forces know that UNAMID would not be asking for their permission when seeking access to areas in Darfur. But she said the approach needed to be consistently applied.

“This has to be consistent,” she said. “It has to be uniform. It’s not subject to negotiation.”

The U.S. diplomat said that UNAMID military troops are “very ably led by the force commander” — General Patrick Nyamvumba of Rwanda but she declined bestow a similar compliment on Gambari.

“[W]hile we are very mindful of the risk to peacekeepers, and we are extremely grateful for the sacrifices that have been made by UNAMID peacekeepers, there is an inherent risk to a protection of civilians mandate that has a Chapter 7 construction. And we look to the leadership of UNAMID, very ably led by the Force Commander, and as well we look to Joint Special Representative Gambari to ensure that this robust posture is pursued, is consistent, and enables UNAMID to do its utmost to protect civilians.” she added.

Diplomats inside the closed-door consultations told Reuters that Rice’s remarks reflected the views of a number of countries.

“It’s certainly true that UNAMID has not been as robust as it could have been in ensuring humanitarian access,” one Western diplomat said.

Gambari had told the council today that the recent clashes involving the Sudan Liberation Army – Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW) and the Justice and Liberation Movement (LJM), which is the only rebel faction engaged in peace talks with the government, led some 43,000 to flee their homes.

Fighting renewed Tuesday on a heavy-scale between the SLM-AM joined by combatants of the disaffected rebel faction of SLM-Minnawi and government forces in Tabit area located at 45 kilometers from El-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur state. The rebels alleged killing more than hundred government soldiers while losing seven of their troopers. In contrast, Sudan army said it had killed 17 insurgents and destroyed rebels’ vehicles.

The head of UNAMID said his mission had beefed up patrolling around the affected villages in order to create a security environment to enable safe returns of the displaced population.

This is not the first time UNSC members expressed dissatisfaction with Gambari.

At the last extension of UNAMID’s mandate, he council asked the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to continue reporting on UNAMID’s progress towards implementing its mandate and to periodically review and update its concept of operations and rules of engagement.

“[The UNSC] underlines the need for UNAMID to make full use of its mandate and capabilities, giving priority in decisions about the use of available capacity and resources to (a) the protection of civilians across Darfur, and (b) ensuring safe, timely and unhindered humanitarian access, the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and humanitarian activities” the resolution extending UNAMID mandate said.

Reuters quoted unnamed Western diplomats at the time as saying that the force should put those goals ahead of reconstruction projects or a direct role in attempts to negotiate a political settlement, which they said UNAMID had been straying into and which Sudan’s government favored.

Some aid organizations and even UN top officials have questioned the potency of the force saying they are not responding forcefully to attacks.

Last year, the head of U.N. peacekeeping, Alain Le Roy said he wants a full investigation of an ambush of UNAMID near a rebel stronghold in which they were stripped of their equipments.

(ST)