Save Darfur Coalition’s December Letter to the U.N. Security Council

H.E. Mr. Marcello Spatafora
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations
2 United Nations Plaza, 24th floor
New York, NY 10017

Your Excellency Ambassador Spatafora:

We acknowledge the past efforts Italy has made towards bringing peace to Darfur, including your recent contributions to the UN Trust Fund in support of the peace negotiations in Sirte, Libya, as well as your past financial contributions to security and humanitarian projects in Darfur. However, it has become increasingly clear that these efforts, and indeed the past efforts of the entire international community, have failed to bring either a protection force for the civilians of Darfur or peace to Sudan. Indeed, over the last two-months the world has witnessed a succession of failures by the international community, including the unproductive start to peace talks in Sirte and multiple missed deadlines for the deployment of the UNAMID force in the face of hostile resistance from Sudanese President al-Bashir. No matter from which angle we look at it, prospects for peace and security in Darfur continue to deteriorate. As you recently stated at the Security Council, “we are getting into emergency mode.”

The most critical and startling developments of the last two months were highlighted in recent comments before the Security Council by Special Envoy Jan Eliasson and Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guéhenno. In their comments on 27 November 2007, Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Guéhenno presented a bleak picture of progress in Darfur, raising serious concerns about the future of both the political process and the deployment of UNAMID. We heard from them that the Sudanese government has refused to allow a functioning UNAMID force to deploy, that the Sudanese government continues to occupy Darfuri towns and villages with non-Sudanese and non-Darfuris, that rebel groups have refused to participate in the peace talks, that UN member states have failed to contribute necessary resources towards UNAMID, and that the political process, which hasn’t really yet started, is already in danger of losing momentum.

The Sudanese government’s obstruction of the deployment of UNAMID is of the greatest concern to us. According to Mr. Guéhenno, the Sudanese government has refused to provide land for bases, has denied permission for night-time flights, and has rejected important elements of the troop contribution list agreed upon by the UN and African Union. Additionally, the Sudanese government has inserted unrealistic provisions into the status of forces agreement, including a provision that would allow it to temporarily disable the force’s communication equipment, and another that requires prior notification of all troop movement. As Mr. Guehenno reported, these egregious demands of the Sudanese government “would make it impossible for the mission to operate.” In the face of such obstructions, we must recall that Security Council resolution 1769 is the second Security Council resolution that authorizes peacekeeping troops for Darfur. After the historic failure of resolution 1706 last year, the Sudanese government and other spoilers must not be allowed once again to prevent the protection of millions of Darfuris in desperate need of security.

As you said during your comments to the council in response to the briefings by Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Guehenno, “what is at stake is the credibility of the UN and the credibility of the Security Council.” But even more so, it is the lives of more than 3 million Darfuris which are truly at stake.

As president of the Security Council, you have the unique ability to direct the agenda of the Security Council and thereby ensure that the many issues facing Darfur are effectively addressed by the United Nations. We urge you to use your privileged positions as both Security Council president and chairman of the Sanctions Committee on Sudan in order to ensure a robust UN-led international response to the troubling developments outlined above.

Specifically, we recommend that Italy act during the month of December to:

1. Release a Presidential Statement on the scheduled report of the International Criminal Court to the Security Council on 5 December 2007. Despite international legal obligations, the Sudanese regime has refused to arrest or prosecute the two individuals indicted by the ICC for their part in crimes against humanity in Darfur: Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kosheib. Outrageously, Haroun is currently the state minister of humanitarian affairs, responsible for the humanitarian operations that are charged with feeding and protecting the very civilians that he is responsible for displacing. And in a gesture of utter disrespect for the international community, Haroun was appointed to co-chair a committee charged with investigating human rights abuses in Darfur during Ban Ki-Moon’s visit to Sudan in September 2007. Likewise, Kosheib has recently been released from detention, where he was being held on separate charges, and is now at liberty, unaffected by the international indictment against him. The Security Council should act on the report of the ICC on 5 December by releasing a presidential statement condemning the lack of cooperation by the Sudanese government and should impose punitive measures to induce cooperation. This action by the Security Council would signal an end to the atmosphere of impunity that enables and emboldens war-criminals such as Haroun and Kosheib.

1. Use your position as Chairman of the Security Council Sanctions Committee concerning the Sudan to initiate targeted sanctions against Sudanese officials responsible for obstructions to the deployment of UNAMID and for crimes against humanity in Darfur. The Sudanese regime has been allowed to obstruct the international community for too long, thereby prolonging the suffering for which the government bears primary responsibility. As the Government of Sudan again demonstrates its intent to prevent the deployment of UNAMID, the international community must demonstrate its willingness to confront these obstructions by implementing targeted sanctions against regime officials and other responsible parties.

1. Call an emergency session of the full Security Council in order to address the obstacles to UNAMID deployment, the struggling peace-process in Sirte, Libya, and the recent escalation of tensions between the Government of Sudan and the SPLM over non-implementation of key elements of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. By calling such a meeting, the Security Council can holistically address the assorted problems affecting the people of Darfur, and more broadly, Sudan. The meeting should most urgently address Sudanese government obstructions to the deployment of the UNAMID force, especially the failure to approve the proposed list of troop contributions and other problems highlighted in Mr. Guéhenno’s briefing.

1. Encourage all UN member countries to provide the material and personnel resources necessary for the full and effective deployment of the UNAMID force. To date, the international community has failed to provide the aerial and ground transportation units necessary for UNAMID to fulfill its mandate. This failure brings into question the commitment of the international community and jeopardizes the ability of UNAMID to effectively perform its mission. UN member states must contribute these resources immediately to prevent any further delay to UNAMID deployment.

By taking these steps, the Italian Republic has the opportunity during this month to play a critical role in resolving the crisis in Darfur. By convening an emergency meeting of the Security Council, by supporting the work of the ICC, and by initiating sanctions against parties responsible for crimes and obstructions, Italy will help ensure that UNAMID is rapidly deployed, that the peace process increases momentum, and that the slide to renewed civil war between the North and South is halted, thereby playing a historic role in bringing lasting peace to the people of Darfur.

Sincerely,

Amjad Atallah
Senior Director
International Policy and Advocacy
Save Darfur Coalition