- As China has backed down from supporting a forced UN peacemaking mission in Darfur that defies Sudan's protests, the UN Security Council is looking into new models that could be accepted by Khartoum and Beijing. One proposal is a "hybrid" force made out of UN and African Union (AU) peacekeepers.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today discussed next steps to address the situation in war-ravaged Darfur with members of the UN Security Council. "We talked about the ... the need for us to work urgently with the Sudanese government and other parties concerned to find a way out of the impasse which exists today with the deteriorating situation on the ground," Mr Annan told reporters in New York.
He pointed to a series of upcoming meetings, including of the AU's Peace and Security Council, which currently has a force, known as AMIS, deployed in Darfur. "Everyone hopes that between now and the end of the month we will be able to come with a workable alternative so that we can move ahead with the implementation of resolution 1706, and help the people concerned," Mr Annan said, referring to a text adopted in late August.
Resolution 1706 foresees a deployment of UN peacekeeping - or rather peacemaking - forces in Darfur to respond to what the Security Council sees as a failure by the Sudanese government to protect its citizens in the vast region despite many warnings and despite reports of genocide-like actions committed by government allied militias. The resolution opens for a deployment of more than 17,000 peacekeepers even if the Sudanese government fails to agree.
Khartoum has protested the resolution and its main allied, China, has since withdrawn support to a deployment on UN troops that is not accepted by the government of Sudan. Without the support of veto-holder China, the UN Security Council cannot go on with its plan, and since August, only a renewal of the mandate of the weak AU force has been able to achieve. At the same time, violence is reported to have increased all over Darfur.
Given this impasse, the UN has started discussing new solutions that could be acceptable to Sudan and China on one side, and the US and European nations on the other side. One popular solution is termed "African Union Plus", and goes a long way in strengthening the AU force with UN peacekeepers. It would allow Sudan to claim victory in that no special UN peacekeeping operation for Darfur had been established.
Mr Annan today confirmed that this option was getting more and more likely. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, "in his discussions with me, has already accepted 'African Union Plus'," Mr Annan told reporters. This, he said, could have a quick effect in "getting into Darfur an effective force, strengthening the African Union force – that is, giving them all the support that they need, including finding ways of putting in additional resources."
UN officials outlined that the most probable way to win approval from President al-Bashir would be to put the "AU Plus" force under an AU commander, who would report to both the African Union and the UN special envoy for Sudan, Tayé Zerihoun. Such a solution could also be approved by Western nations, as the UN would have a role in the "hybrid" force and the original intentions of the UN Security Council resolution would be implemented, although under another name.
Mr Annan was further hoping that the "AU Plus" force would be able to benefit from the US$ 22 million package approved by the Security Council to finance a UN peacebuilding mission. The current AU mission however has suffered from chronic under-financing and little interest from Western nations, so Mr Annan would need skilful lobbying to secure all the funds for the "AU Plus" troops. Special envoy Zerihoun however already was negotiating this, the UN informed.
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