International troops in Darfur rejected by Sudan

Sudan has rejected the proposal to transform the African Union (AU)-led peacekeeping mission in the strife-torn western region of Darfur to a United Nations operation. "The government of Sudan strongly rejects the proposal of international forces to be deployed to Darfur and rejects the transition of operation in Darfur from AU to UN," Foreign Minister, Lam Akol, told a parliamentary session on Feb. 22. "The UN has no mandate in Darfur, it is the AU that has the mandate there," he added. On Feb. 20, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry also issued a statement in which it said Jan Pronk, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Sudan, was infringing on the country's sovereignty. The UN envoy, during a news conference in Khartoum on Feb. 21, strongly denied the accusations, however. "The UN is acting within its own mandate. We are not overstretching our mandate," Pronk stressed. "I have always been completely impartial." Pronk stressed that the UN had never asked for a transition. He noted that the international organization–with 14 existing operations–was reluctant to take on a new peace operation as it was already overstretched and lacked sufficient troops. However, if the AU would take the decision for the transition, Pronk said the UN had "the moral and political obligation to respond positively" because it was part of its mandate. The AU is expected to take a final decision during the next ministerial meeting of the Peace and Security Council, on Mar. 3. In the meantime, UN consultations were taking place with the AU to ensure that the AU could stay as long as possible in Darfur, Pronk noted, "hopefully to the end of this year, at least." With regard to the Darfur peace talks in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, the UN envoy noted that progress was being made and that discussions on security arrangements, in particular, had been given a "boost." The UN Mission in Sudan was exerting pressure on the parties to the talks to reach peace in order to end violence in Darfur, he added. Analysts have credited the 6,964-strong African Union Mission in Sudan–which began operations in Darfur in August 2004–with helping to calm the situation in some areas of the region, allowing for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the region's war-affected populations.