A top United Nations official has warned of a humanitarian disaster in Darfur should African Union (AU) troops leave as scheduled in 11 days, ahead of an AU meeting in New York to discuss the future of its troops in Darfur.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Manuel Aranda da Silva, said another 350,000 civilians in Darfur might be displaced within a month of the AU’s exit. "We feel very strongly that any pull-out of the peacekeepers as they are today will trigger a much more serious situation in Darfur," he told reporters in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. "The potential situation we are facing looks very grave. Many people will be enduring displacement for the second or third time, each [time] making them more vulnerable and demoralised."
The AU has struggled with funding problems and a mandate that critics charge does not allow it to protect civilians. But Da Silva said the AU is providing "psychological security" to millions of displaced in Darfur. "Even if [the AU] are only in very limited areas in Darfur, they provide a sense of security in many areas in Darfur," he said.
The AU’s mandate expires on 30 September. The New York meeting will take place on the fringes of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. "We will assume our responsibilities," said AU spokesman Norredine Mezni in Khartoum. "We will not create a vacuum here. We care about the people of Darfur. We care about the Sudanese people."
Mezni stressed that the final decision on whether the AU would remain in Darfur would be made by the AU Peace and Security Council, which has twice voted to turn its mission over to the UN. Sudan has refused calls for a UN force. Protests have paralysed parts of Khartoum in recent days as students and civil-society organisations have denounced the proposed arrival of blue berets.
On Monday, however, the United States said it expected Sudan to allow the 7,000 AU peacekeepers to stay in Darfur for three more months, despite the expiry of their mandate. "We’re hoping that when the African Union Peace and Security Council meets, they will extend the AMIS mandate through the end of the year," said US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, after a Security Council meeting on Sudan on Monday, referring to the peacekeeping force, known as the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS).
"That will provide the basis on which AMIS will continue and we can strengthen AMIS as we [are] simultaneously preparing for the UN handover," Bolton added.
Violence in Darfur has escalated in recent weeks. Rebels in the region have accused the Sudanese government of aerial bombardment in northern Darfur where violence has again displaced civilians.
More than 250,000 people, mostly civilians, are now estimated by sources, including US statisticians, to have died in the Darfur conflict, which began in 2003. The UN says that to date more than 1.9 million people have been displaced. Security remains particularly precarious for them and for humanitarian workers as well.
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The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Manuel Aranda da Silva, said another 350,000 civilians in Darfur might be displaced within a month of the AU’s exit. "We feel very strongly that any pull-out of the peacekeepers as they are today will trigger a much more serious situation in Darfur," he told reporters in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. "The potential situation we are facing looks very grave. Many people will be enduring displacement for the second or third time, each [time] making them more vulnerable and demoralised."
The AU has struggled with funding problems and a mandate that critics charge does not allow it to protect civilians. But Da Silva said the AU is providing "psychological security" to millions of displaced in Darfur. "Even if [the AU] are only in very limited areas in Darfur, they provide a sense of security in many areas in Darfur," he said.
The AU’s mandate expires on 30 September. The New York meeting will take place on the fringes of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. "We will assume our responsibilities," said AU spokesman Norredine Mezni in Khartoum. "We will not create a vacuum here. We care about the people of Darfur. We care about the Sudanese people."
Mezni stressed that the final decision on whether the AU would remain in Darfur would be made by the AU Peace and Security Council, which has twice voted to turn its mission over to the UN. Sudan has refused calls for a UN force. Protests have paralysed parts of Khartoum in recent days as students and civil-society organisations have denounced the proposed arrival of blue berets.
On Monday, however, the United States said it expected Sudan to allow the 7,000 AU peacekeepers to stay in Darfur for three more months, despite the expiry of their mandate. "We’re hoping that when the African Union Peace and Security Council meets, they will extend the AMIS mandate through the end of the year," said US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, after a Security Council meeting on Sudan on Monday, referring to the peacekeeping force, known as the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS).
"That will provide the basis on which AMIS will continue and we can strengthen AMIS as we [are] simultaneously preparing for the UN handover," Bolton added.
Violence in Darfur has escalated in recent weeks. Rebels in the region have accused the Sudanese government of aerial bombardment in northern Darfur where violence has again displaced civilians.
More than 250,000 people, mostly civilians, are now estimated by sources, including US statisticians, to have died in the Darfur conflict, which began in 2003. The UN says that to date more than 1.9 million people have been displaced. Security remains particularly precarious for them and for humanitarian workers as well.
nk/mw/eo
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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