Darfur peacekeeping hampered by logistical, political hurdles
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Only weeks before the joint UN-African Union (AU) peace force is to begin deploying in Darfur, the operation appears hobbled by logistical and political problems compounded by an upsurge of fighting on the ground.
On the political front, UN diplomats also point to questions marks about a planned new round of Darfur peace talks scheduled for October 27 in Libya due to the surging violence and the refusal of some Darfur rebels to take part.
In his latest report on Darfur, UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned that the timeline for deploying the joint force known as UNAMID was being delayed due to problems in obtaining "land for construction of offices and accommodation in Darfur and...feedback regarding the list of troop-contributing countries submitted to the government of Sudan."
"It is of critical importance that the government (of Sudan) extend the support and cooperation necessary to resolve the issues pertaining to land, landing rights for UN aircraft and the finalization of the list of troop-contributing countries for UNAMID," Ban noted.
The United Nations and the African Union have so far agreed to accept troops for UNAMID from at least 16 countries, mostly from Africa but also from Thailand, Bangladesh, Jordan, Nepal, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries.
Khartoum has been insisting on UNAMID having a "predominantly African character" but has accepted that the UN can turn to non-African countries to fill gaps, notably in specialized areas such as logistics, transport and communications.
One key unresolved issue is a shortage of 24 transport and tactical helicopters that are meant to give the force sufficient mobility and firepower at a time when government troops and rebel fighters are locked in a fresh cycle of strikes and counter-strikes.
Ten of these helicopters which Jordan had offered to supply were rejected by UN peacekeeping planners as unsuitable for the operation.
Jean-Marie Guehenno, head of UN peacekeeping operations, Monday urged European countries and others with the needed capacities to provide the helicopters and pilots, saying they were "critical for the success of the mission."
But a Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Europeans' reluctance to provide the helicopters stemmed from doubts about UNAMID command and control arrangements.
"There are still question marks over how effective and how robust this force is going to be," he said, adding that efforts were being made to try "to build confidence in the robustness of the force," notably by seconding a senior British military officer to its Nigerian commander, General Martin Luther Agwai.
The bulk of UNAMID, which is to comprise more than 19,000 military personnel, over 6,000 police and over 5,500 civilians, is not expected to be on the ground in Darfur, a region the size of France, until well into next year.
Meanwhile Ban also raised the alarm about the surging violence in Darfur, deploring "the brazen and brutal attacks" allegedly by rebel fighters on a base of AU peacekeepers that killed 10 of them in the southern town of Haskanita late last month.
Wednesday, the UN said fighting had erupted between Sudanese troops and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) faction of Minni Minawi, the only Darfur rebel group to have signed a 2006 peace accord, after the rebels accused Khartoum of attacking a town they control.
The escalating fighting comes as the UN and the AU scrambled to lay the groundwork for new Darfur peace talks set for October 27 in the Libyan capital Tripoli to try to end four years of fighting during which over 200,000 people are believed to have died.
Hardline Darfur rebel chief Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur's faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement has said he will not attend the new peace talks with Khartoum until UNAMID is fully deployed in Darfur.
But a Western diplomat here said that although "a significant faction leader" of Darfur's Fur ethnic group, Paris-based Nur could be subjected to UN sanctions if he is found to be "an obstacle to peace."
"He needs to be persuaded that this is serious negotiation and the train will leave the station and if he is not on it then he won't form a part of the outcome," he added.
The diplomat said the Tripoli meeting should be seen as the "start of a process"' and should produce agreement on a ceasefire.
