The African Union on Tuesday suggested that United Nations peacekeeping troops should be sent to Sudan’s Darfur region within two months to bolster a peace accord and prevent the humanitarian crisis from worsening.
AU commission chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare, flanked by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, told a press conference in London that the accord sealed in Abuja, Nigeria ”will be credible if we can ensure the commitment becomes a reality.
”So we must lose no more time because if there is any doubt, everything then can be questioned,” Konare said.
”And we mustn’t forget the humanitarian aspects. In two months it will be the rainy season. If confidence doesn’t reign again then … the situation could really worsen,” the French-speaking Konare said through an interpreter.
He added that he hoped a UN mission could be on the ground ”as soon as possible”, but acknowledged that securing agreement from UN members could take time.
Two senior UN officials arrived in Sudan on Tuesday to discuss the planned deployment of peacekeepers from the world body in the war-torn western region of Darfur.
The UN Security Council on May 16 unanimously approved a binding resolution urging speedy implementation of the Abuja accord between the government and the main rebel group in Darfur, aimed at ending three years of conflict and threatening ”strong and effective measures” against anyone standing in the way.
The 15-member body also called for the deployment of a joint AU-UN technical assessment team ”within one week of the adoption of this resolution” to lay the groundwork for a handover of the AU peacekeeping mission to the UN.
Sudan’s President Omar al-Beshir’s government has not yet officially accepted a UN deployment on its territory, but senior officials have signalled that Khartoum is willing to be flexible on the issue.
Two smaller rebel factions declined to sign the peace deal at the talks in Nigeria earlier this month.
The AU has given them until May 31 to endorse the deal, which was also sponsored by Western powers, including London and Washington. — AFP
