AFRICAN UNION KEEN TO EXPAND MISSION IN DARFUR
But Capacity Gap Holding Up Deployment Could Hold up Mission Success

Washington, DC – The African Union (AU) announced plans to transform its monitoring mission in Darfur to a fully-fledged peacekeeping mission to tackle the on-going atrocities in western Sudan, where up to 1 million people have been displaced and about 50,000 killed. AU armed forces, however, need transport and logistical support to ensure quick, effective deployment of the monitoring mission which is still not up to full capacity.

In a statement issued from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, earlier this week, the AU expressed grave concern over the continued violence in Darfur and requested a plan to enhance the effectiveness of the observer mission, as well as “including the possibility of transforming it into a fully-fledged peacekeeping mission” with the intention to disarm the Janjaweed militia, protect civilians and deliver humanitarian assistance.

“The AU has taken up leadership in Darfur, Sudan, while the UN is still discussing a weak Security Council resolution. The AU has men on the ground monitoring the ceasefire of April 8, 2004. It has already documented numerous atrocities and has been unusually vocal about the failure of a fellow African nation to protect its civilians, criticising human rights abuses in Darfur,” said Harpinder Athwal, CGS’ Peace and Security Program Manager. “However, the AU is a new African regional organization. It clearly has the political will to take on African issues but lacks the logistical and financial resources to sustain such a mission. This is exactly where the international community could make the most immediate impact in Darfur.”

The African Union is organizing a 360-strong observer mission to deploy to Darfur, but the deployment is postponed until August due to a shortage of resources. Neither the AU nor its member states can conduct such an operation alone. Airlift is needed, for example, to get personnel into Darfur and to provide air surveillance capacity for the monitoring mission. Helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft would provide the limited AU forces an ability to observe the huge region of Darfur, which is the size of France.

“With the AU willing to send observers and forces into Darfur to start monitoring the crisis there, the US should offer to organize the transport and ground support needed to deploy them immediately and effectively. As the eyes and ears of the world, the AU’s effort is crucial for stemming the attacks on civilians and monitoring the pledges of the warring parties. Their effort could save thousands of lives – but they have to get there first,” said Victoria Holt, Senior Associate at the Henry L. Stimson Center, who recently traveled to Africa and met with African regional organizations including the AU.

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Notes to Editors:
Thousands of Citizens for Global Solutions’ activists across the country have sent letters to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Ambassador to the UN, John Danforth, expressing their concern about the on-going atrocities in Darfur, Sudan and the need for imminent action.

More information on the Henry L. Stimson Center, Future of Peace Operations Project