Security situation in Darfur deteriorating: UN chief
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The security situation in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region is deteriorating, and the UN-African Union force (UNAMID) struggling to maintain peace there is overstretched, UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned Tuesday.
"The situation in Darfur is deteriorating. We are seeing increasing attacks on UN and international staff," he told a press conference, pointing to the ambush killing of a Nigerian UN peacekeeper Monday. "The UNAMID mission is severely stretched."
The Nigerian was gunned down when up to 60 gunmen ambushed a UNAMID patrol in Sudan's war-torn western region of Darfur, bringing to 10 the number of peacekeepers killed in hostile incidents since the launch of joint operations on December 31.
Ban said he sent his head of peacekeeping, Alain Le Roy, and the new head of the UN Field Services, Susana Malcorra, to Sudan "to accelerate our deployment and push the political process, without which there can be no peace."
The UN secretary general said he now aimed to deploy 65 percent of UNAMID, which has a mandated strength of 26,000, by the end of the year and 85 percent of the force by next March.
But he said these figures may have to be adjusted "in view of the circumstances on the ground."
Ban said battalions of Thai and Nepalese peacekeepers were expected to join UNAMID by the end of October and noted that negotiations were continuing to secure the deployment of Ukrainian military helicopters and personnel to Darfur.
UNAMID urgently needs 24 transport and attack helicopters with the required mobility and firepower to protect civilians adequately.
The United Nations says that up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million have fled their homes since the conflict in Darfur erupted in February 2003. Sudan says 10,000 have been killed.
