Sudan dismisses UN proposal

2006-01-16 08:55

Mohammed Ali Saeed

Khartoum - Sudan gave the cold shoulder on Saturday to a UN proposal to take over from embattled African Union peacekeepers in the war-torn region of Darfur and urged the world to prop up the African body with more funds.

But the main rebel groups in Darfur welcomed the idea and agreed with UN envoy Jan Pronk's assessment that a more robust peacekeeping deployment with a stronger mandate was needed to quell the bloodshed.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol described as "premature" any talk of a handover and reiterated his government's confidence in the almost 7 000-strong AU contingent deployed in Darfur in western Sudan.

"The AU has shown competence and its performance in Darfur has been good," he told reporters.

"Such a proposal questions the AU's ability to carry out its mission, and the Africans' ability to solve their problems... It is regrettable that some African countries support this new trend," a foreign ministry statement said.

While Akol sought to assert his government's right to choose who would be in charge of peacekeeping operations, the AU stressed that as a member of the pan-African body's Peace and Security Council, Sudan would have to comply with any AU decision allowing a UN deployment.

"Sudan will have to accept that decision (when it is made). They are part of the PSC, they will have to comply with it," Patrick Mazimhaka, the deputy head of the executive AU Commission, said.

Expected to run out of cash

The mandate of the AU peacekeeping force is due to be extended at the end of the month for nine to 12 months but Akol said the mission is expected to run out of cash by March.

Pronk, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's special envoy in Sudan, told the Security Council on Friday that the AU contingent in Darfur lacked the means to prevent conflict and proposed a more robust UN force to take its place.

The two main rebel groups welcomed the UN proposal.

"We welcome any practical response by the international community, especially the United Nations, to address the situation in Darfur," said Ahmed Hussein, spokesperson for the Justice and Equality Movement.

Speaking from Abuja where his group has been jointly negotiating with the rival Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), Hussein said the key to any peacekeeping deployment was the nature of its mandate.

"We don't just want troops, we want a force with a strong and clear mandate, a force that can protect civilians from the Janjaweed and the government forces and actually implement US Security Council resolutions," Hussein said.

SLM spokesperson Mahjub Hussein argued that "so long as African troops are tasked with maintaining peace and security in Darfur, the Sudanese government will feel it can do whatever it wants".

Pronk said the proposed UN force, which has yet to be approved by the Security Council, should stay at least three to four years after the signing of a peace agreement and should have its financing guaranteed.

- AFP