The UN Security Council was concerned on Tuesday with the ongoing fighting in Darfur of Sudan and urged the speedy deployment of peacekeeping force there.
The Security Council heard a briefing on the secretary-general's latest report on UNAMID, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur by Edmond Mulet, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.
He focused on the recent violence in West Darfur and provided a detailed overview of UNAMID's deployment and priorities.
After the briefing, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, council president for March, told reporters that council members expressed profound concern about the continued fighting and dire security and humanitarian environments in Darfur.
He added that members "reiterated the need for the speediest possible deployment of UNAMID and urged all parties concerned to cooperate with the United Nations and the African Union to this end."
Mulet noted in his briefing that the fighting in Darfur makes clear that preparing for political negotiations does not seem to be a priority for either the government or rebel movements, and reminded members that a peacekeeping operation alone can not bring security to Darfur.
He stressed that UNAMID "is far from having a meaningful presence on the ground" and was stalled by "insecurity, inconsistent levels of cooperation with the (Khartoum) government, logistical constraints and force shortfalls."
Mulet thus called for member states to provide crucial components to provide air mobility and firepower to protect civilians and peacekeepers.
Meanwhile, he said tensions between Chad and Sudan and the fighting carried out by proxy rebel forces had the potential to regionalize the crisis and derail international peace efforts on both sides of the border.
The UN peacekeeping official observed that the normalization of relations between the two countries is essential if international efforts to restore stability are to succeed, adding that Wednesday's summit in Dakar between Presidents Bashir and Deby at the invitation of President Wade is an important opportunity in this regard.
Source:Xinhua
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