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July 11, 2007
26,000-member force proposed for Darfur
UNITED NATIONS - Britain and Ghana circulated a draft resolution Wednesday authorizing a 26,000-strong U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force for Sudan's Darfur region. The measure also threatened to take steps against those obstructing peace efforts.The draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, states that there will be a single chain of command for the "hybrid" force, provided by the United Nations, a move that would clear up the contentious issue of who will be in charge.
U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Marie Guehenno indicated last month that the Sudanese government had accepted that the United Nations would have overall operational control while day-to-day operations would be in the hands of its African commanders. But many Security Council members wanted that spelled out clearly in a resolution.
The draft states that the hybrid operation, to be known as UNAMID, will have up to 19,555 military personnel, including 360 military observers and liaison officers, a civilian component including up to 3,772 international police, and 19 special police units with up to 2,660 officers.
It demands that all parties in Darfur "immediately cease hostilities and attacks" on the AU force, civilians and humanitarian workers. It also emphasizes that "there can be no military solution to the conflict in Darfur and calls upon the government of Sudan and the rebel groups to enter into talks" to reach a political settlement.
The four-year conflict between ethnic African rebels and pro-government janjaweed militia in Sudan's vast western region has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million. A beleaguered 7,000-member African Union force has been unable to stop the fighting.
The U.N. and Western governments have pressed Sudan since November to accept a U.N. plan for a joint force to replace the poorly equipped and underfunded AU force.
Posted by Mike at July 11, 2007 10:23 PM
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at July 17, 2007 08:10 PM
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