By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 18 2008 (IPS)

A proposed 26,000-strong joint U.N.-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), described as potentially the world’s largest single peacekeeping force, has been virtually grounded even before it could take off due largely to lack of troops and military equipment.

“It’s absolutely frustrating,” says a senior U.N. official, as the Secretariat makes little progress in finding troops and securing helicopters, armoured vehicles and other logistical equipment urgently needed for the full deployment of the force.

The government of Sudan, which is seeking an all-African peacekeeping force, has rejected the deployment of military units from Thailand, Nepal, Norway and Sweden.

Asked about the rejections, Marie Okabe, U.N. deputy spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, told IPS that “no formal or written position has been received” in response to the correspondence on force composition sent to Sudan last October.

Verbally, she said, “the government of Sudan has rejected the contribution from the Nordics.”

Addressing a meeting of the U.N. Security Council last week, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno said Sudan’s rejections will have “serious consequences” for the complete deployment of UNAMID.

As of last week, only 9,000 out of the proposed 26,000 troops have been deployed to Darfur.

“This is insufficient,” the secretary-general said in early January. He urged the U.N.’s 192 member states to provide troops “as soon as possible”.

The bulk of the troops is expected to come mostly from 11 African nations: Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal.

The peacekeeping mission, which officially came into force Dec. 31, has also remained crippled because of the lack of helicopters and other logistical equipment.

UNAMID’s requirements include a total of 24 helicopters: one heavy and one medium ground support unit, three military utility aviation units (18 helicopters in total), and one light tactical helicopter unit (six helicopters).

Asked if Sudan has rejected any helicopters offered by Western nations, Okabe said: “We have not yet received any offers of helicopters from Western states.”

Bill Fletcher, Jr., former president of TransAfrica Forum, told IPS that the United States should supply helicopters and other military equipment to ensure that the peacekeeping force is well-equipped.

He said the larger problem is political. The government of Sudan has been able to utilise the perception of “foreign intervention” as a way of leading various governments to believe that the deployment of peacekeepers is somehow inappropriate.

“Nevertheless, the African Union must articulate a clearer and more unified vision as to what it believes is necessary and what sorts of non-African support are appropriate in bringing a peaceful resolution to the Darfur conflict,” said Fletcher, who is executive editor of www.blackcommentator.com.

According to U.N. estimates, the four-year-old conflict in Sudan has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 civilians, and reduced over 2.2 million to the status of refugees or internally displaced persons.

The new hybrid force will have an initial mandate of 12 months and incorporates the former African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), which was in Darfur since 2004. But AMIS itself suffered from a shortage of troops and financial resources.

UNAMID, which has an annual budget of about 1.5 billion dollars, is tasked with acting under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter to support the early and effective implementation of the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement between the government and the rebel force battling in Darfur.

The U.N. force is also mandated to protect civilians, prevent armed attacks and ensure the security of aid workers and its own personnel and facilities.

Being subject to interpretation, Chapter VII also empowers the Security Council to take action, including military action, “with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace and acts of aggression.”

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