Chambas worried by Darfur conflict

A decade since conflict broke out in Sudan’s Darfur region; the word from the joint African Union-United Nations envoy is that the security situation there remains volatile.

In his first briefing to an open session of the Security Council since assuming the position in April, Joint Special Representative Mohamed Ibn Chambas described a steady upsurge in inter- and intra- ethnic violence throughout the Darfur states in the first half of 2013 that just weeks ago saw seven UN peacekeepers killed in an ambush, injuring 17 other UN Mission staff.

Ten years later and still people are dying in Darfur as tensions grow over access to land, water and mineral resources. Chambas has described it a deteriorating security environment.

“Since the beginning of the year, fighting between the government of Sudan and non-signatory movements on the one hand, and on the other inter-and intra-ethnic clashes have led not only to loss of life, but also a situation of protracted displacement, socio-economic dislocation and loss of property for the civilian populations.”

The joint special envoy described a peace process that remains incomplete, where all rebel movements have yet to sign up to the Doha Document.

“The increased militarisation and proliferation of arms amongst civilian populations in Darfur, accompanied by deterioration in the humanitarian conditions for host communities and IDP populations has meant that inter-ethnic violence has actually brought about more death, injury and displacement than the fighting between the government and non-signatories in 2013.”

He called the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace unacceptably slow despite it being the only viable option towards a political solution while the Darfur development strategy; a mechanism to implement development in the region remains under funded.

“Honouring the pledges made at the Doha Donor Conference in a timely manner would help to change the dynamics on the ground as DDS projects are aimed at improving the living conditions of conflict-affected populations and create a more conducive environment towards peace.”

While the UN Security Council must now weigh up the requirements and posture of a peacekeeping mission, increasingly under threat and whose mandate must be renewed before the end of the month, the envoy has called for a more flexible mandate and for better training and equipment for the mission. Air support continues to be a huge challenge for UN missions in hotspots all over the world.