Top UN official warns of alarming increase in violence in Darfur and beyond

UNITED NATIONS: The U.N. peacekeeping chief warned Wednesday of an alarming increase in violence in Darfur that has already spread to the Sudanese capital and could escalate further, citing unconfirmed reports of preparations for new rebel attacks.

Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno urged all participants — the disparate rebel groups and feuding Sudanese and Chadian governments — to "move away from the brink of going into another cycle of violence" and start negotiations to end the Darfur conflict.

In a briefing to the U.N. Security Council, Guehenno said the surprise rebel attack on Khartoum last weekend, which took place "during an alarming increase of violence in Darfur itself," has implications for the already complex security situation on the ground and the operations of the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force.

The attack by rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement, based hundreds of kilometers (miles) to the west in Darfur, also has serious implications for the efforts to revitalize political negotiations on Darfur, Chad-Sudan relations and Sudanese national politics, he said.

"This great deterioration of security — not just in Darfur but beyond Darfur, in Kordofan, (the central province next to the capital), and the suburbs of Khartoum last weekend — that's a major challenge for all of us," Guehenno told reporters afterward. "Our great concern is that it doesn't lead to further escalation."

Guehenno told the council that the U.N.-AU force, known as UNAMID, has received unconfirmed reports that the Darfur rebel group, SLA-Unity, "is gathering forces with over 40 vehicles near Khor Abeche to attack El Fasher," the capital of North Darfur and headquarters for UNAMID.

"In addition, there have been reports of JEM and Chadian armed elements crossing the border and assembling in West Darfur," he said.

Guehenno said as a result of the request he requested UNAMID to be "on high alert" and "to take every possible precaution."

"But I think in the present stage in Darfur, unfortunately there is no place in Darfur that can claim to be safe from possible violence," he said.

Calling the JEM attack over the weekend on Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman "deeply disturbing," Guehenno said the United Nations is "very concerned that the movement of significant numbers of JEM fighters from Darfur all the way to Khartoum went undetected and took both UNAMID and the government by surprise."

"The incident underscores the serious shortfalls in the mission's resources, especially aerial reconnaissance capabilities," he said, reiterating an appeal for helicopters, heavy transport, engineers and a "multi-role logistics unit."

The weekend attack led to the temporary closure of the airport in El Fasher, interrupting the movement of supplies and personnel, and the U.N. remains concerned "about the threat this escalation poses to UNAMID supply lines from Port Sudan to Darfur through El Obeid," Guehenno said.

The U.N.-AU force took over peacekeeping duties in Darfur in January from a beleaguered AU force. It only has about 7,500 troops and fewer than 2,000 police on the ground, out of a total of 26,000 that have been authorized.

In a report to the council on Tuesday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for stepped up efforts to get troops and equipment into Darfur and urged member states to provide helicopters and other critical transportation capabilities for the force.

Guerhenno echoed his call as well as Ban's admonition that the force, when fully deployed, will have broad responsibilities, first and foremost protecting civilians, but it "cannot be a substitute for political engagement."

Dior: Taming the big game

More from Style:

• A fading sweetness at Nina Ricci
• A.F. Vandevorst: Dressing like mother
• Tattoos gain new visibility

Search

Subscriptions
Sign Up  |  Manage