Former UNAMID Force Commander Meets SLA Field Commander (UN Photo/Stuart Price)
Without excuses and without exception, when humanitarian and human rights are threatened, there must be independent monitoring; when violated, there must be an investigation. This applies as much to oppressive government forces as it does to their challengers. When clashes threaten the lives and livelihoods of civilians, the rebel cause is weakened. SLA-AW, take note.
Obstructionism – sometimes enforced by hostile threats – against Darfur’s embattled peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) has become a serious problem. Despite recent advances toward full deployment, other factors have severely limited its troops from implementing their mandate to effectively protect civilians. Perhaps most troubling of these is the extent to which all key belligerent parties continue to restrict UNAMID’s monitoring patrols and access to the sites of ongoing or recently concluded clashes, most of which have resulted in the limitation of humanitarian assistance and direct abuses against local populations—including human rights violations, civilian deaths, and mass displacement.
Though this is far from an emerging problem in Darfur, it requires renewed attention and must be addressed with the rigorous application of impartial standards to all groups involved, while acknowledging responsibility is not shared equally. The reality – which varies over time depending on military and political strategy – is some are worse offenders than others. In December, we highlighted the role of the Government of Sudan (GoS) in impeding the work of UNAMID and the UN Panel of Experts. Today, we single out the SLA-AW for obstructionist actions that have complemented, rather than counteracted, GoS destabilizing activities and have further eroded civilian security while promoting impunity in Darfur.
The latest report of the UN Secretary-General on UNAMID cites 21 restrictions on freedom of movement, breaking down as such:
| Sudan government forces | 6 | ||
| Non-state actors | 15, including: | ||
| SLA-Abdul Wahid | 9 | ||
| Justice & Equality Movement | 4 | ||
| SLA-Minni Minnawi | 1 | ||
| Chad armed opposition | 1 |
None of these groups has a defensible reason for their actions, but SLA-AW is out at least nine. Further, they have been implicated in threatening UN peacekeepers by firing shots and confiscating UNAMID equipment. In November of last year, SLA-AW also obstructed humanitarian activities, without any apparent regard for the severity and urgency of local civilian needs.
The international community led by JSR Gambari must make it clear that while fulfillment of materiel and personnel needs are essential, ending such severe obstructionism should be a priority second to none. Furthermore, although the long overdue arrival of 5 Ethiopian tactical helicopters represents welcome progress, guarantees of flight clearance must be secured from both rebels and government forces, and immediate facilitation of UNAMID aerial reconnaissance capacity must be realized. The incidents described above indicate that the mission’s full impact and ability to implement its mandate cannot be achieved without these measures.
As we’ve noted before, both war and peace in Darfur continue to be placed purposefully and systematically at arms length. While UNAMID is often the target, it is always and invariably the civilians who suffer the consequences. And although the UN-AU hybrid operation in Darfur has been called many things, the truth is almost always ignored: these peacekeepers are quite literally the only force standing between a vulnerable, victimized population and criminally rampant insecurity perpetuated by belligerent parties that seem to increasingly hold their own interests above those of Darfuri civilians.
For the Secretary-General’s full report to the UN Security Council, click here. See section IV. Security Situation, page 5 for more details on obstructionism by Darfur’s key belligerent parties. UNAMID’s November 2009 statement on SLA-AW restrictions can be found here.
For a different perspective on this issue, click here.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: Chad, Darfur, Government of Sudan, Humanitarian Aid, Save Darfur, SLA, SLA-AW, Sudan, UNAMID, United Nations
