Darfur force 'under threat'
Thursday, 15 Nov 2007 09:16
It is hoped the peacekeeping force will end the suffering for millions of Darfuris
The international peacekeeping force due to be deployed in Sudan's war-torn
Darfur region may be under threat, a senior UN official has warned.
Jean-Marie Guehenno, under-secretary for peacekeeping operations at the UN, told reporters yesterday that member states are failing to commit enough forces to Unamid, the joint UN-
African Union force.
A Thai infantry battalion will be one of just 18 eventually dispatched to Darfur by the middle of next year. Norway, Sweden and Denmark are to provide an engineering unit, while a force reserve and sector reserve unit have been offered by Nepal.
Mr Guehenno said Khartoum was dragging its feet on approving specific units to be deployed in Darfur.
"The Sudanese government hasn’t said no to any particular unit, but the Sudanese government hasn't said yes either to any of those units that have been mentioned… We believe that the clock is ticking and that it is important to move forward," he said.
The Unamid force was approved by the UN on August 1st after Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir finally backed a "heavy support package" on April 16th. Initial deployments are planned for the new year.
Aid agencies have expressed hope that the force will improve the security situation in the region, allowing refugees in Darfur's many camps to return home.
But Mr Guehenno believes it may not prove prudent to deploy only a limited force.
"It is a terrible dilemma, because on the one hand, you can say that a force, even if it doesn't have all the assets, can make a limited difference for a number of people in Darfur, and that is something in itself which is good.
"On the other hand, if that force was to know humiliation in the early stages of its deployment, then it would be very hard to recover from such a humiliation. So it's an extremely difficult decision to make."