UNITED NATIIONS/SUDAN: Security Council votes unanimously to press Sudan on U.N. Darfur force while thousands of refugees in Darfur protest against camp conditions

Record ID: 346969

  • Title: UNITED NATIIONS/SUDAN: Security Council votes unanimously to press Sudan on U.N. Darfur force while thousands of refugees in Darfur protest against camp conditions
  • Date: 17th May 2006
  • Summary: (BN02) NYALA DARFUR, SUDAN (MAY15,2006) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES SOME CARRYING PLACARDS DEMONSTRATING (6 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 1st June 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA8ITQ2I8YHXCI4X0XATJOIYN06
  • Story Text: The Security Council on Tuesday (May 16) pressed Sudan's reluctant government to let U.N. military experts into Darfur within a week to plan for a U.N. peacekeeping force to move into the region later this year.
    Sudan barred U.N. troops from taking over from the smaller and under-equipped African Union force now in Darfur pending a peace agreement, and has given mixed signals since the May 5 signing of a peace deal in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.
    While voting for the resolution, Russia, China and Qatar, who have treated the Khartoum government gingerly on Darfur, stressed that any U.N. peacekeeping operation had to have Sudan's consent.
    Zhang Yishan, China's Deputy Permanent representative to the U.N. said that while China did not press its objections.
    "We have not pressed our objection. But this should not be construed as constituting a premise or a precedent for Security Council's future discussion of adoption of new resolutions on Sudan. When the time comes there should be specific agreement based on specific circumstances."
    The three nations, in almost identical statements, said they agreed to the resolution because of the African Union's decision in Addis Ababa.
    Russia and China added that they did not believe the resolution should have been adopted under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which makes council actions legally binding when there is a threat to international peace and security.
    While acknowledging other parts of the resolution had been watered down prior to its adoption, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton welcomed the decision.
    "The U.S. and others felt strongly that a chapter seven solution was necessary and by persisting, we persuaded Russia and China to go along. And thus, led us to a unanimous decision. This is a very positive development. This is not to understate the amount of work remaining to do, the amount of work the Secretary has to do and the continuing difficulties inherent in implementing the Darfur peace agreement," Bolton said.
    The resolution endorsed the AU Peace and Security Council's decision and urged Sudan's government and Darfur rebels to work with AU and U.N. officials "to accelerate transition to a United Nations operation."
    It was the African Union's view, the resolution said, that "concrete steps should be taken to effect the transition" from the AU force to a United Nations operation.
    The measure said the council now "calls for the deployment of a joint African Union and United Nations technical assessment mission within one week of the adoption of this resolution."
    Meanwhile, thousands of refugees in Sudan's Darfur region protested against conditions in the camps on Monday (May 15) as ceasefire talks dragged on in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
    The refugees in a camp near South Darfur's regional capital, Nyala carried placards decrying the security situation in the camps and surrounding areas.
    In Nigeria, a rebel leader from Sudan's Darfur region on Tuesday (May 16) rejected an African Union threat to impose sanctions on him if he did not sign a peace deal by May 31 to end fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people.
    The Kalma camp refugees said their suffering had increased.
    "I want to talk about this problem in Darfur, the people in the camps are suffering from a lot. People suffering from hunger, the people are suffering from health, also from water. A lot of problem take place. Around there is killing still going attacks still around. The stealing has increased because now we reduce the international forces who protect the citizens we are suffering and the citizens make demonstration for convention take place in Abuja," said Yusuf Adam, another camp resident.
    On Monday, the AU extended by two weeks a deadline for two holdout rebel groups to endorse the deal, but stepped up the pressure by threatening sanctions if they did not sign.
    The Khartoum government and the biggest faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), led by Minni Arcua Minnawi, signed the agreement on May 5 but a rival SLA faction led by Abdel Wahed Mohammed al-Nur rejected it. Smaller rebel group the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) also refused to sign.
    The international community fears the accord will not stop the war if only one rebel faction supports it. Refugees have rioted against the deal in several camps in Darfur.
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