Yes, this time, it’s for real. There are no riddled statements being made. Sudan has officially accepted the UN resolution. Why is it different this time? Well, here’s why. Previously I said the following:
As for Sudan’s acceptance of UN-AU troops in Darfur, do not forget that it is conditional. There are demands that the force be fully comprised of soldiers from African countries and that it be under AU control. Those 2 things still need to be worked out.
The conditions have been met:
The U.N. Security Council has more than tripled an existing African Union-led force for the Sudanese province of Darfur by authorizing a 26,000-member peacekeeping mission.
The council’s unanimous vote on Tuesday establishes a “hybrid” force of U.N. and AU troops and police, under AU command. Some countries have offered to contribute troops to the mission, said the U.N.’s peacekeeping agency, but it offered no specifics.
The new peacekeeping force will take over from the beleaguered 7,000-strong AU force now in Darfur no later than Dec. 31. The U.N. said the force, called UNAMID, will have “a predominantly African character,” as Sudan demanded. African troops already in Darfur will stay there.
Moreover, two other important thorny issues have also been resolved:
The text was watered down several times to remove the threat of sanctions, which Sudan and China opposed, and authorization for the new force to seize or collect arms.
… the final document notably does not authorise foreign troops to pursue alleged war criminals sought by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
After observing all those points, it’s no surprise to me that Sudan accepted the deal. Another good aspect of this resolution is the following:
It also urged Khartoum and rebel groups to commit themselves to a permanent ceasefire and to join peace talks under AU-UN mediation, following a peace deal in May 2006 that was signed by only one rebel group.
Later this week, a meeting organised jointly by the AU and the United Nations in Arusha, Tanzania, is to lay the groundwork with the non-signatory rebels for renewed negotiations with Khartoum.
This is definitely excellent news and we Sudanese have a reason to rejoice. It’s a huge step in the right direction. The “talk” has been talked but will it materialize into “walk”? I sure do hope so.
SudaneseThinker
SudaneseThinker
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Interesting…
What’s UNAMID authorized to do?
Any crippling restrictions on them?
Are they “observers” or tough guys who shoot people?
Either way, it’s an interesting development. Good luck to sane Sudanese with this
Good for the islamic fascist government, bad for the common man. All bark and no bite, just what stopping genocide needs.
Raccoon, sadly there will be no true justice and frankly I think this solution is simply the lesser of 2 evils.
At least the risk of intervention and an inevitable jihad igniting are now gone so that’s good. No more risk of the war getting bigger. But those who bear much responsibility for the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people won’t get the punishment they deserve.
My guess is that UNAMID stands for “United Nations African Mission in Darfur”. They’ll be sent under chapter 7 which means they’ll be authorized to use force to defend themselves and protect civilians. But what I still find unclear is who’s side will they take during a real battle between the government and rebels? I guess that’s where peace talks and negotiations come in. Ain’t no need for a peacekeeping force if there ain’t no peace to keep in the first place.
Drima -
“Ain’t no need for a peacekeeping force if there ain’t no peace to keep in the first place.”
Lack of peace didn’t prevent sending “peacekeeping forces” into Lebanon…
I really really hope that the UN will have finally done something right, rather than serving as a transnational fig leaf for monsters (their usual function).
Drima, check this one:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=d-XHFZyI9vs
Sounds interesting!
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,497682,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,497811,00.html
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/31/news/UN-GEN-UN-Sudan-Darfur.php
seems the “allies don’t run after that deal
Noman, the plan is just the first step… implementation? HUGE headache as we will surely witness!
It’s hard to get overly excited about Sudan/al Bashir accepting a UN resolution.
Particularly in light of this situation:
Darfur war crimes suspect has free rein
Ahmad Harun, accused of recruiting militias who ravaged villages, is the minister of state for humanitarian affairs.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-harun5aug05,0,7234603.story?coll=la-home-world
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