Press Release

Damanga: International Community Must Continue Pressure on Sudan to Promptly Implement Hybrid Peacekeeping Force

December 26, 2006

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy today expressed cautious optimism regarding a new agreement between the African Union, the United Nations and the Sudanese government to jointly implement a peacekeeping force for Darfur after months of delay. Press reports over the past few days have billed the agreement as a significant step forward in creating a hybrid African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force for Darfur. Under the accord, the Sudanese government will immediately allow a small contingent of UN technical and security advsiors into Darfur to coordinate with African Union peacekeepers. According to the UN, this is the first phase in a process that will culminate in the addition of several thousand UN peacekeeping troops to bolster the existing African Union mission.

Damanga cautions, however, that it is unclear whether the Sudanese government will truly consent to having United Nations peacekeeping troops on the ground. In a December 23 statement to the Sudanese Media Center, the Sudanse Defense Minister said that the "government still insists on the rejection of the deployment of foreign troops under any name." This apparent contradiction will likely lead to yet another delay in ending the Darfur conflict.

Mohamed Yahya, the Executive Director of Damanga, said today, “The United Nations and the international community are not obliged to defer to the Sudanese government’s wish that African Union troops, supplemented by a handful of UN experts, are the only peacekeeping force allowed in Darfur. This is not a solution.” It is highly unlikely, Yahya continued, that an AU force could be bolstered with the manpower sufficient to enforce a lasting ceasefire in Darfur. Even in this event, an AU force would not be as effective as an equivalent UN force, which would have the mandate and expertise necessary to keep the peace in Darfur.

Damanga recognizes that the new UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has identified resolution of the crisis in Darfur as a top priority. The organization cautions, however, that such a designation by outgoing Secretary-General Kofi Annan did not result in prompt, concerted action by the United Nations. The past few months have seen a continued failure to deploy UN peacekeeping troops in Darfur, in spite of the mandate for such a force being provided by the August, 2006 Security Council Resolution 1706.

Damanga urges Secretary-General Ban to break from a policy of cautious engagement with Sudan, and to recognize that the Sudanese government has negotiated in bad faith in recent months. Without continued pressure, the Sudanese government will once again go back on its promises. The UN Secretariat should focus its energy on calling the Security Council and its member nations to account for their failure to implement Resolution 1706, and for their reluctance to find alternate means to promptly end the crisis in Sudan.