Sudan: UNAMID deployment on the brink

The Road to Security in Darfur Blocked by Government Obstructions

SUMMARY

When the United Nations Security Council authorised a new "hybrid" United Nations/African Union peacekeeping operation (UNAMID) in July 2007, it was hoped that Darfur's struggling AU peacekeepers would be rapidly reinforced by UN troops with the capacity to effectively protect civilians in Darfur. Five months later, on the brink of transfer of authority to UNAMID, little if any additional capacity has been deployed or is on the horizon. Barely a third of the promised force is expected to be in place by 31 December.

Far from facilitating deployment of UNAMID, the government of Sudan is actively obstructing and undermining it. However, rather than challenging Sudan to fulfil its commitment to Security Council Resolution 1769, politicians and members of the international community are instead wrangling over details and shirking their own responsibilities to support the force. The disgraceful failure of capable UN and AU member states to contribute critical equipment required by UNAMID, such as helicopters and trucks, only serves to reinforce the government of Sudan's attempts to undermine it.

Transfer of authority to a force that is as weak as the current African Union Mission (AMIS) -or failure to hand over authority at all- would embolden abusive armed groups and put the civilian population at even greater risk.

The government of Sudan is obstructing deployment of UNAMID in at least five ways:

1. The government has failed to formally approve the list of UNAMID troop contributions for more than two months.

2. The government has rejected troop units from Nepal, Thailand and Nordic countries, insisting that they will only accept African contributions. Each of the proposed units is critical to the force, and there are no alternatives that are ready to deploy.

3. The government has taken many months to allocate land for bases in Darfur, and as of 13 December had yet to allocate sites for the Zalingei area.

4. The government has attempted to insert provisions into the Status of Forces Agreement that would allow it to temporarily disable UNAMID's communications network when the government undertook "security operations", and that would require UNAMID to give Sudanese authorities prior notification of all movements of troops and equipment.

5. The government has refused to grant permission for UNAMID forces to fly at night and continues to impose curfews on peacekeepers in certain areas.

While the government of Sudan pursues its calculated campaign of obstruction, the people of Darfur continue to suffer rape and killings, massive displacement, and critical obstacles to humanitarian relief including violent attacks on humanitarian workers, as they have for almost five years. This will continue as long as there is no effective peacekeeping force on the ground in Darfur.

The United Nations Security Council should issue a strong Presidential Statement condemning the government of Sudan for its obstruction of the UNAMID deployment, and requiring the government to take explicit action to remove each of these obstacles. If the government of Sudan fails to take those actions within 30 days, the Council should immediately impose targeted sanctions on key government officials, including President Omar Al-Bashir, for noncompliance with Sudan's obligations under resolution 1769.

United Nations and African Union member states should immediately fill the critical gaps in equipment and capabilities that have already been made public by the United Nations and African Union, especially air and ground transport and helicopter units.

"Ultimately, a strategic decision on the part of the government of the Sudan is necessary if we are to achieve our common goal: peace and security in Darfur and, indeed, in all of the Sudan. [...] The international community will be confronted with hard choices: do we move ahead with the deployment of a force that will not make a difference, that will not have the capability to defend itself and that carries the risk of humiliation of the Security Council and the United Nations and tragic failure for the people of Darfur?" Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations, 27 November 2007

When Security Council Resolution 1769 was passed in July 2007, it was hoped that Darfur's struggling AU peacekeepers would be rapidly reinforced by UN troops with the capacity to effectively protect civilians in Darfur. Five months later, on the brink of transfer of authority to UNAMID, little if any additional capacity has been deployed or is on the horizon. After five years of suffering in Darfur, this is unacceptable.

The government of Sudan holds primary responsibility for the precarious state of the United Nations/African Union mission. They are obstructing deployment in five major ways, imposing conditions that would render the mission likely to fail. But rather than challenging Sudan to fulfil its commitment to Resolution 1769, politicians and members of the international community are instead wrangling over details and shirking their own responsibilities to support the force.

The credibility of the United Nations, especially the Security Council, is at stake. But far more urgently, the lives of millions of human beings continue to be put at risk by the failure to deploy effectively. Four million people in Darfur rely on humanitarian assistance in some form; more than 2 million men, women and children are displaced from their homes, and at least 500,000 of those in need of aid receive nothing because insecurity prevents aid agencies from reaching them. After years of horrific violence, insecurity, displacement and broken promises, the people of Darfur deserve protection now.