The African Union has said it may transform its protection force into a ”fully-fledged peacekeeping mission” in Sudan’s Darfur region to force the government-backed Janjaweed militia to lay down its arms in line with a ceasefire deal.
The pan-African body is already planning to send some 300 troops to Darfur by the end of July to protect its team of observers and monitors overseeing the implementation of a shaky ceasefire deal between the militia and rebel groups.
Nigeria and Rwanda are the two African countries that have confirmed they will contribute troops to tackle the crisis, which UN officials have described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations estimates 50 000 people have died in the Darfur conflict involving government forces and their Janjaweed allies against two rebel movements, the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement.
The AU’s Peace and Security Council on Tuesday asked its chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare to prepare ”a comprehensive plan on how best to enhance the effectiveness of the AU mission on the ground”.
”This includes the possibility of transforming the said mission into a full-fledged peacekeeping mission, with the requisite mandate and size to ensure the effective implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” an AU statement said.
”The mission will lay much emphasis on the ”neutralisation of the Janjaweed militia, the protection of the civilian population and the facilitation of the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” it said.
The pan-African body has so far investigated three out of six incidents of truce violation reported to its ceasefire monitors in Darfur and in one incident, the monitors confirmed that Janjaweed burnt villagers alive in Suleia market.
AU’s Peace and Security Council condemned ”the grave situation that still prevails in Darfur… in particular the continued attacks by the Janjaweed on the civilian population”.
The council also said there is ”need for the rebel forces to be cantoned at mutually agreed sites”.
The Sudanese government, which has repeatedly pledged to disarm the Janjaweed, said on Tuesday it would face down any foreign military intervention in the crisis.
The AU asked the Ceasefire Commission, which is already in Darfur, to submit ”a comprehensive assessment of the situation in Darfur, including the steps taken to disarm and neutralise the Janjaweed militia, to bring to justice the perpetrators of the human rights violations and on the ceasefire and the status of the political dialogue.”
On July 17, Darfur rebels refused to enter into direct political dialogue with the Sudanese government in Addis Ababa, until Khartoum agrees to demilitarise Darfur and bring war criminals to book.
Two rebel groups in Darfur rose up against Khartoum in February 2003, claiming that the mainly black African region had been ignored by the Arab government.
The uprising was prompted by a heavy-handed crackdown by Sudanese troops and Janjaweed militias, which have carried out what aid and human rights groups have called ”a massive campaign of ethnic cleansing.” – Sapa-AFP