Calls to help AU avert catastrophe in Darfur

Humanitarian organisations on Tuesday sent appeals for the world to fund the African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, saying the troops were the only means of averting a catastrophe. As international donors gathered in Brussels for a conference to raise funds to strengthen the cash-strapped African Mission in Sudan (AMIS), the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Jan Egeland added his voice to the calls to bolster AMIS, saying the force should be boosted even as the world planned for the UN to take over the peacekeeping role in Darfur from the AU. "We should plan ahead for a transition to a UN operation in several months but we also have to survive the next few days and weeks. So AMIS has to be strengthened immediately, and donors urgently have to provide the necessary resources to allow AMIS to do its job - protect the people and help implement the peace agreement," said Egeland. The Council of the European Union stressed the role of AMIS in keeping peace in Darfur in the short term. The council, however, underlined that the deployment of UN blue helmets was the "only viable and realistic option" for the restoration of security in Darfur in the short term. AMIS would play a vital role in the implementation of a partial peace agreement signed between the Sudanese government and some of the rebel groups in Darfur in May, according to the EU. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said killings and rapes had escalated in Darfur in recent weeks and called for urgent support for AMIS to enable it to protect civilians. "The African Union's peacekeeping mission is the only force on the ground in Darfur. It will remain responsible for civilian protection until the deployment of a UN force," said Peter Takirambudde, Africa director at HRW. Ahead of the Brussels conference, eight international aid agencies criticised the international community for failing to provide enough support to AMIS. "The African Union force is being set up to fail. It simply cannot be expected to fulfil its mandate without proper support. The current scenario is a recipe for disaster. Donor governments must now put their hands in their pockets and fully fund the African Union force," said Barbara Stocking, Director of Oxfam Great Britain. "Many countries have still not given enough money to support the troops already on the ground," said Denis Caillaux, Secretary-General of CARE International. "This lack of funding means patrols in and around camps are impossible or have been scaled back and we are seeing people attacked, killed or raped as a result," he added in the statement, released on behalf of CARE International, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Oxfam International and Tearfund. jn/mw/eo