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Sudan

UN extends mandate for Darfur force

Article published on the 2008-08-01 Latest update 2008-08-01 12:08 TU

A UNAMID soldier in Darfur(Photo: Reuters)

A UNAMID soldier in Darfur
(Photo: Reuters)

Just two hours before the mandate for UN-AU peacekeeping forces in Darfur was due to expire, the UN Security Council renewed its mandate for another year. But NGOs protest that resources are not being provided for the force in place. Fourteen of the 15 members voted in favour of extending the mandate of the Unamid force for another year, although the United States abstained.

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The process had been complicated by the International Criminal Court's indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir for genocide.

The African Union had asked the Security Council to press the court to suspend proceedings for a year, saying that a prosecution of Beshir would endanger the peace process in Darfur.

Libya and South Africa, supported by Russia and China, had insisted that a delay be included in the resolution to extend the Unamid mandate, but the amendment was left out of the final draft.

The United States did not vote, due to objections to the wording of the resolution, saying that the language used would "send the wrong signal to Sudanese President Beshir and undermine efforts to bring him and others to justice," according to Alejandro Wolff, the deputy US ambassador to the UN.

He added that Washington "strongly supports the extension of Unamid's mandate".

The resolution came as non-governmental organisations warned that UN forces now in Darfur are struggling due to a lack of resources. A report endorsed by 36 NGOs, including the Save Darfur coalition, found that only one third of the 26,000 peacekeepers have been deployed, and that not one country had offered helicopters.

The mission says it needs 18 helicopters to protect civilians adequately. Initial offers of aircraft from countries, including Ethiopia and Russia, have come to nothing.

A report written by defence analyst Thomas Withington, says that India, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Italy, Romania and Spain could between them provide an estimated fleet of over 70 helicopters, four times the number required by Unamid.