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Future of Peace Operations Program



Peace Operations in Sudan

The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Force

Synopsis of Ongoing Missions in Sudan



The United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) was established by the UN Security Council following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in January 2005. UNMIS has an authorized strength of up to 17,300 military personnel, 3,300 civilian police, and 16 Formed Police Units. Its mandate, which extends until 31 October 2007, includes monitoring the ceasefire and the deployment of armed groups; assisting in the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration process; supporting efforts to promote the rule of law, including the establishment of a professional police force; ensuring human rights protections; assisting in the electoral process; and providing support to the African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) for the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement. In addition, UNMIS has a Chapter VII mandate to protect international workers and ensure the protection of civilians.


AMIS was created by the African Union in response to the separate conflict in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. Military deployment was ordered by the Assembly of the African Union at its 6-8 July 2004 meeting. At its 17th meeting on 20 October 2004, the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) mandated AMIS to monitor the ceasefire of 8 April 2004; provide for the safe return of internally displaced persons and refugees; protect civilians; monitor the military activities of all parties; and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. AMIS currently has an authorized strength of 10,000 military personnel and 1,500 police.


Background: Civil War in Southern Sudan

In 1947, the British imposed a unified government under northern leadership, eventually leading to a revolt led by southern military officers in 1955, on the cusp of Sudan’s 1956 independence. Conflict continued until 1972, driven largely by the primarily Christian and Animist South’s desire for autonomy from the increasingly Islamist government in Khartoum.


An agreement granting some autonomy was concluded in 1972 under a socialist military government, and relative peace reigned until 1983 when the southern autonomous region was abolished by the government under pressure from Islamist factions and the desire to exploit the South’s newly-discovered oil wealth. In 2002, after a decade of on-and-off negotiations, the government and the major Southern rebel groups concluded the Machakos Protocol under the auspices of the Kenyan-led Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, which led to the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005, providing for revenue-sharing between the north and south, the maintenance of Islamic law in the north only, and a referendum on Southern independence by 2011. By October, a new constitution had been drafted and a government of national unity formed. Thus far, the peace agreement seems stable, even surviving the accidental death of John Garang, a rebel leader and intended vice president of the unity government, in August 2005.


As of 30 June 2007, UNMIS consists of 10,108 total uniformed personnel, including 8,824 troops, 591 military observers, and 693 police. Its current mandate expires on 31 October 2007.


Background: The Conflict in Darfur


As the North-South conflict was drawing to a close, a rebellion launched by the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) began in the Western region of Darfur in 2003. The Sudanese government countered this rebellion through its own armed forces, as well as by arming local militias collectively known as the Janjaweed. Similar to the North-South conflict, the SLM/A and the JEM represent Muslims of primarily African descent against the rule of the Khartoum government, which has historically been dominated by Muslims of Arab descent.


A ceasefire was signed in N’Djamena, Chad on 8 April 2004, but this was largely ignored by all parties. In this context, the African Union deployed AMIS in October 2004.The mission was primarily tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, but circumstances have dictated that it focus more on preventing violence, especially against civilians. Many international actors have classified the massive killing of the local population by Khartoum-backed forces as genocide. This violence grew to such a scale that in March 2005, the UN Security Council, by its Resolution 1593, referred the Darfur case to the International Criminal Court, so that the Court could investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.


In June 2005, talks among the parties resumed in Abuja, Nigeria under AU auspices, and are ongoing. However, negotiations have been hampered by an internal power struggle within the SLM/A. Due to the growing costs of maintaining AMIS and a lack of financial and material capacity within the AU generally, the PSC has agreed that the mission should be transferred to UN authority at the end of its current mandate, in spite of protests from the Sudanese government. On 31 August 2006, the UN passed Security Council Resolution 1706 requesting that the transfer be planned jointly with the AU and Khartoum and prepared for deployment in October. Negotiations were not concluded until November 2006, in Addis Ababa, but did result in an agreement outlining a three-stage support package for AMIS, the final stage of which calls for a hybrid AU/UN force of up to 17,000 troops and 3,000 police.


As of 23 May 2007, AMIS consists of 6,143 military personnel, including 5,197 troops and 946 observers, and 1,360 police. The mission’s current mandate expires on 31 December 2007.


Links

ADDITIONAL FOPO RESEARCH ON REGIONAL AND AFRICAN ACTORS IN PEACE OPERATIONS

United Nations Mission in Sudan
African Union (AU) - The Situation in Darfur