SUDAN AGREES "IN PRINCIPLE" TO A HYBRID U.N.-AU FORCE FOR DARFUR AT MEETING WITH U.N. AND AU OFFICIALS

At a meeting convened by outgoing U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and co-chaired by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the Sudanese government agreed "in principle" to a mixed United Nations-African Union force for the Darfur region of Sudan. Although the final details of the hybrid peacekeeping force are yet to be determined, Sudan's consent "in principle" is a significant step forward for the troubled region.

The African Union (AU) met this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with Sudanese officials to discuss the situation in Darfur and its force in the region, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). The United Nations Security Council had originally planned on attending the AU meeting, but canceled its plans due to a lack of consensus on a Security Council message regarding the scope and mandate of AMIS.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan held a meeting on Thursday, November 16, in Addis Ababa with key leaders to try and break the  deadlock on Darfur. Among those present were officials from the five permanent members of the Security Council and several  African countries, including Sudan. In addition to discussing a hybrid U.N.-AU force for Darfur, Secretary General Annan also  called for possible troops in Chad along the Chadian-Sudanese border. In recent weeks, janjaweed attacks in Chad have caused  tens of thousands of Chadians to flee their homes. Many humanitarian groups and internally-displaced persons (IDPs) in Chad expect attacks on camps soon.

Annan proposed three steps for a U.N. Darfur plan, which includes a "Light Support Package" of $21 million for the current African Union force on the ground. The U.N. would then deploy several hundred soldiers and police to Darfur in a "Heavy Support Package" before expanding to a hybrid U.N.-AU force with U.N. command and control. The eventual hybrid force -- which could total 20,000 troops if agreed upon by the Sudanese government -- could end up costing the U.N. $77 million in military, police, and civilian personnel.

The hybrid force would maintain a largely African character but would see increases in funding and equipment due to the AU-U.N.  partnership and accessibility to U.N. resources. An African character would ensure that troops come as much as possible from African countries, with traditional peacekeeping contributing countries helping to bring the force to full capacity.  The commander of the hybrid force would be an African commander jointly appointed by AU and U.N. officials.

Shortly after the talks, however, Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol denied that Sudan agreed to a command and control structure by the UN. Akol said that further discussion must take place within the Sudanese government before a final agreement is reached. The proposal put forth by Secretary General Kofi Annan was only agreed to "in principle" by the Sudanese government. On Sudanese state television, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir stated that Sudan would welcome financial, material, logistic, or technical support from the UN, but did not comment on a command and control structure. Further disagreement seemed evident regarding the number of troops on the ground. The UN had originally stated that the Sudanese government agreed to as many as 17,000 troops, while Khartoum stated that 7,000 would be sufficient.

While Citizens for Global Solutions applauds the international community for taking this step forward in protecting the people of Darfur, various concerns remain regarding the effectiveness of a hybrid force. An expanded peacekeeping force in Darfur must have a stronger mandate than the current AMIS force. There is a possibility that Sudanese President al-Bashir feels pressured into agreeing to a larger force but wants to limit its scope and mandate in order to divert attention from his actions in Sudan. Sudanese officials fear the possibility of a U.N. force in Darfur and increased accessibility for the ICC investigation into atrocities in the region.

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Updated November 20, 2006