UN troops in Sudan 'slacking'

2009-01-07 13:00

Khartoum - United Nations peacekeepers in Sudan supporting a north-south peace deal must do more to protect vulnerable citizens as the risk of violence becomes "acute", an aid agency warned on Wednesday.

The US-based Refugees International heavily criticised the UN mission in Sudan (UNMIS), which supports a landmark 2005 peace deal that ended one of Africa's longest conflicts.

"There is a widespread inclination to do less rather than more, and an unwillingness to be proactive, although the threat of a resumption of hostilities is widely acknowledged," the report read.

"Given the probability of increased violence and the reality of civilian expectations, UNMIS needs to take a more proactive, preventative stance with regards to civilian protection," it added.

The report was released ahead of fourth anniversary celebrations on Friday for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended two decades of conflict in which some 1.5 million people died.

UNMIS is a separate mission from the joint UN-African Union (UNAMID) force deployed in the western region of Darfur.

The US-brokered CPA set up a government of national unity, but tensions remain high between the former foes, with thousands displaced last May after clashes broke out in the oil-rich border town of Abyei.

"Situations like this one (Abyei), in combination with the inability and occasional unwillingness of the UNMIS military to engage with local people, has led some to insist that UNMIS really stands for 'Unnecessary Mission in Sudan'," it added.

Elections scheduled under the CPA are due later this year, a key stepping stone towards a 2011 referendum in the semi-autonomous south for potential full independence.

"With real power at stake, the risk of new conflicts erupting is increasing exponentially," the report warned, adding that peacekeepers must be given "clear rules of engagement" so they are ready to use force.

"UNMIS, especially its military component, must overcome the attitude that protection is not its job," the report challenged.

No one from UNMIS was immediately available for comment.

While north-south peace efforts are separate from the conflict in Darfur, many analysts are sceptical much progress can be made so long as the western region remains at war.

Judges from the International Criminal Court (ICC) are expected to make a decision early this year on whether to issue an arrest warrant for the Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on war crimes and genocide charges in Darfur.

Some fear that if a warrant is issued a furious Sudan could evict peacekeepers and aid workers, not only damaging hopes of resolving the Darfur conflict, but jeopardising the north-south peace agreement.

- AFP