Support for Darfur mission urged

Support for Darfur mission urged The international community has been accused of failing to provide basic equipment vital to the peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur region. The accusation was levelled in a report backed by 36 human rights groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It comes on the first anniversary of the decision to deploy a UN-African Union force in war-torn region. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is expected to vote on whether to extend the troops' mandate for another year. The UN estimates that five years of conflict in Darfur have left 300,000 people dead and more than 2 million people homeless. Khartoum says the scale of the violence and suffering has been exaggerated by the West for political reasons. It denies charges that it organised the Arab Janjaweed militias, accused of widespread atrocities against Darfur's black African population. It says military powers like the US, Britain and France are tied down in wars and other peacekeeping operations. But it named the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Spain, Ukraine and India, saying they have more than 70 suitable aircraft needed for the mission. Salim Ahmed Salim, a former secretary general of the Organisation of African Unity who was involved in putting together the report, told the BBC it was "mind-boggling" that despite international concern over Darfur, not a single helicopter had been provided. "The helicopters are there, what is lacking so far is the political will," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme. "All I can say is that if I were Darfurian I would really not only be distressed but would begin to question the extent of the solidarity." The report says a militia attack three weeks ago on a UN-AU convoy that left seven peacekeepers dead and 19 wounded underscores the critical importance of helicopters. The troops were outmanned and outgunned, and because of the lack of helicopters no rescue or reinforcement operation could be mounted, the report said. It also says the peacekeepers are short of other basic equipment, and that some soldiers are wearing blue plastic bags on their heads because they do not have the standard blue UN helmet. The report says the hybrid force is only part of the solution to the conflict in Darfur and that broad-based negotiations are essential. Only about a third of the intended 26,000 peacekeepers have so far been deployed. The UN Security Council decision on whether to renew the mandate for the peacekeeping force has became embroiled in the fallout over accusations that Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has committed genocide in the troubled west of his country. The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked judges there for an arrest warrant for Sudan's president on charges of war crimes and genocide. The AU asked the UN Security Council to use its power to suspend the court's proceedings for a year, saying that indicting President Bashir would be a setback to peace in Darfur. Libya and South Africa, backed by Russia and China, wanted to include this in the resolution on renewing the mandate. But the UK, France, the US and central American countries objected, saying there should be no link between the peacekeeping force and whatever the court might do. Faced with the prospect that the force might not have its mandate renewed, a compromise has been found, after much wrangling between the 15 Council member states. The resolution takes note of the African Union's request for the Council to suspend the ICC's work, but does no more than that.