INTERNATIONAL BODIES DISCUSS DARFUR AND PRESIDENT BUSH APPOINTS SPECIAL ENVOY

This week in New York, the United Nations General Assembly and the African Union (AU) witnessed steps toward ensuring peace in the Darfur region of Sudan. The AU Mission will remain on the ground until the end of the year, continuing its mandate to monitor the region.

During the opening session of the U.N. General Assembly, President Bush addressed the topic of Darfur and called for swift action to end the genocide in Western Sudan. Bush also announced the appointment of a Presidential Special Envoy for Darfur, former USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios. He also called upon the U.N. to act by sending peacekeepers into the region, regardless of whether or not the Sudanese government allows U.N. troops to enter Darfur.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council met in New York this week to discuss the situation in Darfur. During the meeting, the AU decided to extend its mission in Darfur until the end of 2006. This critical decision assuages many of the international community's fears of abandoning Darfurians to escalating violence after the previous September 30, 2006 end to the AU's mandate.

Sudan has agreed to the extension of the African Union's mandate to December 31, 2006. Although this will allow a force to stay on the ground, the AU remains ill-equipped to protect civilians from daily attacks, gunmen on horseback, and aerial bombings. Many AU soldiers must survive on $1 a day for food and logistical support. The worsening security situation in Darfur makes it difficult for humanitarian aid agencies to address the food and water shortages in the region and for the AU mission to protect Darfurians on the ground.

Sudan's approval for an extension of the AU force also postpones the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to the region. Khartoum continues to withhold its consent for U.N. peacekeepers, saying that U.N. troops would spark another jihad.

The United Nations and Arab states have promised funding and logistical support for the extended AU mission, which is already too small for the region and is strapped for cash. The U.N. peacekeeping mission outlined in Security Council Resolution 1706 would be a stronger, larger and better funded presence on the ground with a robust mandate to protect Darfurian civilians and achieve lasting peace.

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Updated September 21, 2006