UN Secretary-General Proposes Support for African Union Mission in Darfur

Strategic Insights -

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has sent a letter to AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare outlining four areas where the UN can provide assistance in expanding the African Union's ceasefire-monitoring mission in Darfur, a region in western Sudan. The AU is expanding its mission in response to growing violence and humanitarian crises in the area, where an estimated 1.45 million people are internally displaced and another 200,000 are living as refugees in neighboring Chad.

Key Takeaways:

  • The UN has proposed establishing a UN assistance cell in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to support the AU mission in Darfur.
  • The UN has offered to pre-screen police for participation in the AU mission and open a Darfur regional office of the UN Advance Mission in Sudan.
  • The UN plans to organize a pledging conference to fund the enlarged AU mission.
  • The AU is expanding its mission to address the conflict between the Sudanese government and two local rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
  • The UN Security Council has requested that Annan establish a commission of inquiry to investigate whether genocide has taken place in Darfur.
  • The conflict in Darfur has resulted in thousands of civilian casualties and the destruction of homes and cropland.

Statistics:

  • 1.45 million people are internally displaced in Darfur due to the conflict.
  • An additional 200,000 people are living as refugees in neighboring Chad.
  • The conflict has resulted in the killing and raping of thousands of villagers by Arab militias known as the Janjaweed.
  • The UN plans to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the possibility of genocide in Darfur.

Sources:

  • Xinhua News Agency, October 4, 2004 (via COMTEX)
  • COMTEX News (http://www.comtexnews.com)