Sudan's Plan for Darfur - Letter from UN's Ban to Sudan's Bashir Jan 24 remains unanswered

Sad. Excerpt from Soldier of Africa: Another Day in "Paradise" Feb 15, 2007:

"I have been in Darfur long enough now. Time to go home." That is the attitude of most guys who have been here for more than eight months. For most of us it is a matter of getting the days over. I also hope that the UN takes over this mission sooner rather than later. The presence of the AU has probably prevented genocide from continuing, but it is too uncoordinated and mismanaged to do the job properly.

Hybrid force



Photo: This is what the new UN/AU hybrid force will look like with both UN and AU insignia. For now anyway. (Photo and caption by Werner K, Soldier of Africa Jan 2007)

Still no affirmative news on AU-UN hybrid mission

Reuters report (UN's Ban raps Sudan on visas for rights monitors by Evelyn Leopold 15 Feb 2007) - excerpt:

Ban said he was awaiting a report from his special envoy Jan Eliasson of Sweden, now in Sudan, as well as an answer to a letter he sent to Bashir late last month.

"So again, this continuing deteriorating situation in Darfur is just unacceptable," Ban said. "I'm still awaiting an official reply from President Bashir to my letter of Jan. 24, which outlines our detailed positions on force generation, command and control and funding."

"With an affirmative answer, we can pave the way immediately to the introduction of an AU-UN hybrid mission," Ban said.

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SUDAN'S PLAN FOR DARFUR

Six months ago, here in the sidebar at Sudan Watch, I linked to the full text of Sudan's Plan dated 2 Aug 2006. Yesterday, after reading that US special envoy to Sudan was quoted as saying the Sudanese government has lost control, I revisited the link and extracted the following from pdf English version entitled "Plan of the Government of the Sudan for the restoration of stability and protection of civilians in Darfur":

Excerpt from letter sent by Sudanese President Bashir to UNSG Kofi Annan 2 August 2006:

I have the honour in that connection to transmit to you herewith the plan of the Government of the Sudan to restore stability and protect civilians in Darfur. It is a national plan that relies on the provisions of the Darfur peace accord signed on 5 May 2006 in accordance with the timetable contained therein. For our part, we shall work to complete the implementation of the plan by the end of this year with the cooperation of and in coordination with the parties to the Darfur peace accord and the mission of the African Union in Darfur. We also have every confidence that the United Nations will spare no effort to support this plan in such manner as we consider necessary so that the plan may achieve its objectives.

Our national plan comprises a number of priorities for returning life to normal in Darfur, among the most important of which, as specified above, are the aspects that address control over the security situation, the attainment of stability, the protection of civilians, and the strengthening of mechanisms and systems for the enforcement of the rule of law. The plan also gives special consideration to a number of quick-impact economic programmes that are indispensable to support the stability that will be achieved through other features of the plan.

Accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration. Omer Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir President of the Republic of the Sudan To His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan Secretary-General of the United Nations Khartoum, 2 August 2006

Excerpt from the plan's Introduction:

The detailed plan indicated below is based on the provisions of the Darfur Peace Agreement and the timetable established in it for the implementation of those provisions. It is also based on the Sudanese Government's understanding of the current situation in Darfur and its complicated security, social, humanitarian and economic aspects. The Sudanese Government, which holds the greatest and most fundamental responsibility in this matter, will exert itself to complete the implementation of this plan by the end of the year in coordination and cooperation with the parties signatory to the Peace Agreement and the African Union, to which the Agreement accords a fundamental role in the implementation process.

Excerpt from page 5 of the English version:

Objectives:

1. To perform the undertakings of the Sudanese Government under the Darfur Peace Agreement in coordination with the African Union, in accordance with the timetable established in the Agreement

2. To gain control over the security situation and achieve stability in Darfur;

3. To deal with the threats posed by the activites of groups that have rejected the Darfur Peace Agreement;

4. To secure and protect displaced persons' camps and livestock routes;

5. To tighten cooperation with the African Union with a view to strengthening the African Mission in the Sudan;

6. To remove all the obstacles and impediments that stand in the way of the work of the African forces in Darfur.

Activity: Deployment of additional forces in Darfur to gain control of the security situation and achieve stability in coordination with the African Union
Implementation measures and means:
Phase I
4,000 Government troops
2,000 SLM troops
Timing: 1 Aug - 30 Sep 2006
What is required of United Nations and partners: Participation in demining operations, especially in farming areas, on roads and on livestock routes.

Implementation measures and means:
Phase II
8,000 Government troops
2,000 SLM troops
3,348 AU troops
Timing: 1 Oct - 31 Dec 2006
What is required of the United Nations and partners: Support for efforts to strengthen the mechanisms for the implementaiton of the Peace Agreement relating to security measures and training of the members of those mechanisms, including the representatives of the parties, in collaboration with the African Union.

Implementation measures and means:
Phase III
10,500 Government troops to consolidate the security situation
and for border control
Timing: After 1 Jan 2007

Activity: Securing and protection of displaced persons' camps
Implementation measures and means:
Deployment of 7,050 fully qualified members of the national police to secure the camps and the surrounding areas, to provide policing within camps and in areas where there are population clusters and to which people return voluntarily. Creation of police units specialised in crimes against women and children in the camps.
Timing: 1 Aug - 31 Dec 2006
What is required of the United Nations and partners: Provision of advisory expertise for the training of members of the national police and the civil police of the African Union to assist them in carrying out their missions. Provision of stationary and mobile police force crim laboratories to enhance their capacity to investigate violations, especially those directed against women and children.

Activity: Reinforcement of the African Union Mission in the Sudan
Implementation measures and means:
Guaranteeing of the provision of all the facilities and types of support provided for in the Agreement on the establishment of the Mission with a view to properly meeting the needs of the Mission and its mobility needs in a timely fashion. Maintenance of landing facilities and airport use in Darfur and expansion of such facilities to meet the Mission's strategic air transport needs.
Timing: 1 Aug - 31 Dec 2006
What is required of the United Nations and partners: Guaranteeing of the provision of the requisite levels of resources, air and land capacities and other mobility aids. Provision of both stationary and portable communication equipment to strengthen the Missions's communications network in order to cover all of Darfur. The provision of consultative expertise for the members of the Mission and training of its members in the fields of communications, administration, transport and data collection.