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Sudan: Force Commander Says Darfur is War Zone
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Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali)
22 July 2008
Posted to the web 22 July 2008
Kigali
The recent 'despicable attack' on UN/AU forces in Darfur by well armed 'thugs' should be a stark reminder to the international community that the conflict there is not about to end but getting worse, the force's Nigerian Commander says.
"When I first listened to the details of this tragic incident, when I heard of the weapons involved and was told the fire fight lasted more than two hours, it struck me that this was a report straight out of a war zone", writes General Martin Luther Agwai in an Ep-Ed published by the Mail & Guardian Online.
"Yet again I asked myself, where is the peace for us to keep? The unpalatable truth is there is no peace in Darfur. This is a conflict that has now lasted almost as long as World War II, with the prospects of a lasting settlement looking less likely than ever."
On July 9 late at night, the Force base had to respond urgently to a rescue operation only to find 7 men from Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana dead, with 22 wounded from a deadly attack by militias.
These brave men, as General Agwai calls them, were engaged in a classic peacekeeping operation but worse did they know war was coming.
"This was a highly organised assault by up to 200 gunmen on horseback and in 40 vehicles equipped with rifles, machine guns and an arsenal of heavy-calibre weapons", explains the General.
He is demanding for necessary equipment, a review of the force mandate to include soldiers from other non African countries and a new debate about the future of Darfur.
"We also need to look urgently at broadening the participation in this peacekeeping force. Security Council resolution 1769, which gives us our mandate in Darfur, speaks of the "predominantly African character" of Unamid. It does not say the peacekeeping force must be exclusively African. Given the understandable constraints among African contributing nations we should now be able to turn to those non-African countries willing and able to assist our mission at short notice." he argues. "Darfurians deserve nothing less."
According to him, the threat to the force is coming from everywhere. In June, 38 of the peacekeepers were held hostage at gunpoint for more than five hours by armed men from the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) Minni Minawi faction.
This group has signed the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). The movements have had it too easy for too long, General Agwai notes.
This is nothing new I have known that Dafur is a war zone for many years,this looks like the continuation of the disinformation campaign.
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