UN delays UNAMID Peacekeeping Operations for Darfur…Again.

February 23, 2009

According to a February 18th Associated Press Article, the UN will not reach its 80% target for its UNAMID peacekeeper mission for Darfur. Instead, Darfur peacekeeping operations will still only operate with 65% capacity until more troops arrive, with 100% capacity scheduled for November.  The deployment of troops has been delayed due to what the United Nations has described as “delays in procurement processes by contributing countries”.
Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy is very disappointed that the United Nations-African Union operation is delayed and will not reach the 80% target for the month of March, and is further disturbed that the peacekeeping operation will not reach full capacity until November 2009.

This is not the first time that peacekeeping operations for Darfur have been delayed: Since 2007, peacekeeping operations for Darfur that were mandated under UN resolution 1769 have been continuously delayed, manipulated, and reinterpreted. Evidently, this seems to be the routine tactics within the bureaucratic UN organization.

 On behalf of the people of Darfur, Damanga is very disturbed by this terrible news because it indicates that the UN is failing to help create a lasting peace within the region. Without a full and immediate deployment of these 26,000 peacekeepers that are part of this delayed UNAMID operation, and without immediate ICC action to arrest Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and his cabinet for their crimes against humanity, the Darfur problem, and the problems within all of Sudan, will remain unresolved.