On Sunday April 1, 2007, five African Union (AU) peacekeepers were killed by gunmen believed to be affiliated with the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) while guarding a water access point in Sudan near the border with Chad. This attack on AU peacekeepers is the deadliest since soldiers were deployed to the region in 2004. To date, 16 AU soldiers have been killed or are missing. The five dead were from a total of 538 soldiers provided to the AU by Senegal.
Much of Darfur remains a battleground between Sudanese government backed militias and clashing rebel forces. The years of destruction and violence have driven approximately 2.5 million people from their homes and left at least 200,000 dead. Humanitarian relief, led by the UN has been critical to averting a major disaster as the mobile relief camps and accompanying food and water have assisted the displaced.
The killings of the peacekeepers this week come on the heels of a high-profile visit by John Holmes, the UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, who visited the region to assess ongoing aid efforts.
High Profile Negotiations
Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has resisted UN attempts to place security patrol forces within the country, insisting on African autonomy in the peacekeeping operation. The killing of AU troops will likely increase pressure on the Khartoum government to accept a current proposal to deploy 22,000 additional UN peacekeepers to the region. This force would assumedly be better trained and equipped to deal with rebel forces and government interference. The AU security force’s role is hampered due to a lack of equipment and changing missions. To date, their primary mandate is to protect civilians in immediate danger when possible, however there have only been a few occasions when the AU has proactively succeeded at completing this job. Without the many Western contractors, which are used to provide accommodations, food and maintenance, the force would barely function.
On March 28, 2007, President Bashir met with United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the Arab League and Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairman of the African Union, to discuss the crisis in Sudan. During the two-hour meeting, discussion centered on how best to handle the crisis and provide security to beleaguered relief workers assisting displaced citizens. Mr. Ban commented after the meeting, “I think we made progress where there had been an impasse. The king’s intervention very much supported my position.” Having a dialogue with support from the Arab community is seen as a major breakthrough that may help get all parties to find a unified solution.
However, positive steps do not equate to an agreement, as President Bashir continues to favor a Sudan controlled solution to the conflict. In speaking at the opening session of the League of Arab States summit, Bashir claimed that a UN Security Council resolution calling for a joint AU-UN force in his country posed, “a violation of Sudan’s sovereignty and a submission by Sudan to outside custodianship.”
Time is Running Out
Without a strong security force in place, the humanitarian effort in Darfur will continue to be at risk. Ongoing violence and political bureaucracy are threatening to disrupt the ongoing aid effort. In the past year alone one dozen aid workers have been killed, an unknown number beaten and robbed and vehicles and other valuable property stolen. Darfuris say government-backed militias known as Janjaweeed are to blame for much of the violence against the general population. However, the government denies any link to the group.
With millions of people living in temporary shelters, a human catastrophe is not too far in the future. A dedicated security force with powers to control the region is essential to stabilizing the crises, which must occur before any positive outcomes can take effect. The AU security forces will need to be augmented by a seasoned, well-trained and well-equipped force, such as what the UN is offering. However, little will be accomplished without President Bashir’s backing and continued support of Arab leaders.
