Issue 143

UN Finally Moves on Sudan

22nd July 2006

The United Nations Security Council has passed a unanimous resolution saying that the Sudanese government has one week in which to let a UN planning team into the country ahead of the planned deployment of 20,000 peacekeepers in September.

Sudan have previously refused entry to the UN team, basing the rejection on concerns that officials would be arrested for war crimes. The governments concern follows the submission of a dossier of evidence to the war crimes tribunal in the Hague relating to the violence in Sudan that has raged since 2003.

The conflict focuses on long term tensions over land and grazing rights in Darfur, a western region of the north African state of Sudan. The fighting began when Darfuris launched a rebellion in protest at the under development of the region and economic marginalisation by the central government. It is alleged the Sudan government responded by arming militia to crush the rebellion.

At present, a African Union force of around 7,000 is being slowly deployed, but the UN believes the operation to be under resourced and unable to exert control over the entire region. The resolution passed on May 16, number 1679, proposes support for the AU force, followed by a UN take over in the autumn. The resolution threatens sanctions against any individual or group who attempts to impede the progress of the UN planning team.

The US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, has said that the resolution makes it clear that "we think there?s an important role for a UN peacekeeping force. The resolution, proposed by the US, was co-sponsored in the Security Council by the Congo, Denmark, France, Ghana, Greece, Peru, Slovakia, the UK and Tanzania. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the UN has welcomed progress on the issue.

Sudan insist they are not interested in a "confrontation" with the UN, and are weighing the possibility of allowing the UN planning team into the region. A government spokesman, Jamal Ibrahim, said that the resolution demanding access was unnecessary.

Tim Sculthorpe