NEW DARFUR RESOLUTION. In late July, Kofi Annan came up with a novel, next-best option for addressing the spiraling violence in Darfur. With no member state willing to commit troops to a peacekeeping force in Darfur, Annan proposed that the United Nations appropriate resources, such as communications and logistical assistance, and material items, like APCs and aircraft, to the African Union, which has 7,000 troops stationed in Darfur. In a letter to the Security Council on August 10, he urged that the Council to consider his recommendations. Eight days later, it seems that at least two member states have heeded his call. A couple of hours ago, I obtained a copy of a new U.S.-U.K. draft resolution on Darfur that explicitly endorses Annan's plan for a hybridization of A.U. and available U.N. resources. As envisioned in the draft resolution, this would serve as a stop-gap measure (commencing October 1) and continue until the African Union force has fully transitioned into a 17,300-strong United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). (UNMIS was created some 16 months ago to help implement the Comprehensive Peace Accord between the north and south, and contained something of a loophole whereby UNMIS forces could provide support for Darfur.) Of significant importance here is the fact that the U.S.-U.K. draft resolution calls for UNMIS to be under a Chapter VII mandate whereby its mission includes protecting civilians and keeping open the lines of humanitarian access. To be sure, this draft resolution is highly ambitious and there are many obstacles to its implementation. For one, Sudan's acquiescence to a peacekeeping force in Darfur is seen as a necessary prerequisite for certain countries to commit troops to a U.N. force in Darfur. Sudan's approval is also a prerequisite for Sudan's patron, China, to accede to a resolution. All the while, China does not seem to be lifting a finger to help secure Khartoum's approval for a force in Darfur. For the first time in a while there is some movement on Darfur in the international arena. However, it remains to be seen if this resolution can build true momentum for a peacekeeping force there.
--Mark Leon Goldberg (Full disclosure: In addition to my work at the Prospect, I am now also affiliated with the United Nations Foundation. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.)
