The Government will present a Bill to the Riksdag today proposing Swedish participation in UNAMID, the African Union/United Nations Hybrid peacekeeping operation in Darfur.
The Swedish and Norwegian governments have notified the UN that they will contribute a joint engineer force of around 400 people to UNAMID, which will take over from the AU-led force by the end of this year at the latest. The Swedish contingent will comprise at most 160 people.
"It is of great importance that the international community, including Sweden, assists the UN in its peacekeeping efforts in Darfur," says Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt. "UNAMID can contribute to improving the security situation, and thereby also improve the humanitarian situation in the region.
"At the same time, it is vitally important that progress is made in the political talks now under way between the parties involved in the conflict within the framework of the AU-UN Joint Mediation Support Team," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt.
In July 2007 the UN Security Council decided on the establishment of a peacekeeping mission in Darfur under the joint command of the UN and the African Union. Consisting of 26 000 personnel, 19 500 of whom will be military personnel, UNAMID will be the UN's largest ongoing peace-support operation.
The conflict in Darfur, since it began in 2003, has become one of world's worst humanitarian disasters. A political solution is needed to bring a permanent end to the large-scale human suffering. Contributing to a political solution to the conflict is therefore the overall aim of the Government. The AU-UN Joint Mediation Support Team, led by Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, is at the centre of the international community's efforts.
This year the Government will allocate an estimated minimum of SEK 265 million to humanitarian assistance in Sudan. In addition, Sweden provides personnel to the UN support package for AMIS, the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Sudan. Sweden is also contributing police officers, military advisers and military observers to EU Support to AMIS and to UNMIS, the UN mission in southern Sudan. Via the Swedish Rescue Services Agency, Sweden is also strengthening the medical capacity of AMIS.
Inclusion of the Norwegian-Swedish engineer force in UNAMID requires the approval of the UN and the AU. A final decision on sending Swedish armed forces to another country requires the consent of the Riksdag.
Contact:
Sara Malmgren
Press Secretary to Carl Bildt
+46 8 405 49 39
+46 703 47 97 88
sara.malmgren@foreign.ministry.se
Annelie Almkvist
Deputy Director
+46 8 405 56 66