Sudan Commits to the Original Mandate of the UNAMID, Rejects any Amendments

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United Nations Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution that supposedly "renews" the mandate of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) for a period of one year. The resolution embodies troubling signals that the previous commitments are being unilaterally scrapped by the Council and further contains inaccurate and malicious information that does not in anyway reflect the realities on the ground.

It is imperative to recall that the initial mandate in the resolution 1769 establishing the mission was the result of a binding agreement between the Government of Sudan, the UN and the African Union, a tripartite mechanism which defined a clear and precise assignment for the UNAMID which would exercise limited and very specific functions in the peace efforts.  Any process of renewal would be a renewal of the particular terms and specifications of this mandate. This is, after all, precisely what renewal means. In an attempt, however, to exploit the spirit of cooperation demonstrated by the Government of Sudan, the UNSC crafted this new resolution to undo the agreed upon terms by projecting the mandate of the force well beyond the scope of the responsibilities previously outlined. At the outset, it vests the UNAMID with the authority to tackle any and all challenges in the entire Sudan, an amendment that's not only an egregious departure and violation of the previous agreement which confined the mission to Darfur but also a fundamental infringement on the Sovereignty of the country. Furthermore, the resolution reconfigures the composition of the force from an identity primarily African, as initially agreed on, to one that will now accommodate new elements. The resolution goes on to introduce hazy concepts such as the right to protect and redesigning chapter 7 so that it enables the use of force for vague purposes.

For the UN to safeguard peace around the globe, it has to abide by its own rules and guidelines that regulate peacekeeping missions and must further make the effort to respect and honor the agreements it enters into. The government of Sudan cautions that any attempts to impose ad hoc details not agreed on will lead to rejection of cooperation and withdrawal from any previous commitments related to the mission, a right accorded by the United Nation's Charter and by international law, but more specifically by invoking the Principle of peacekeeping missions. The Government again reiterates its commitment to the renewal of the initial mandate and affirms its full cooperation with the UNAMID within the framework of resolution 1769.

Embassy of Sudan Press and Information Office, phone: +1-202-338-8565, or fax: +1-202-667-2406

SOURCE Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan