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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 31 August 2006

SUDAN: Security Council approves UN force for Darfur

NEW YORK, 31 Aug 2006 (IRIN) - The United Nations Security Council on Thursday voted to create a UN peacekeeping force for Sudan’s western Darfur region, but the troops would be deployed only with the approval of the Sudanese government.

Sudan has been rejecting a UN force for Darfur and has proposed sending its own troops to the region. The three-year conflict has displaced at least two million people and claimed an estimated 200,000 lives.

Resolution 1706, backed by the United States and Britain, passed with 12 votes and three abstentions: China, Russia and Qatar. It provides for the transfer of African Union peacekeepers currently in Darfur to the UN force.

“Paragraph one of the resolution invites the government of Sudan to consent to deployment, though nothing in this language requires their consent,” John Bolton, US ambassador to the UN, told council members after the vote. “We expect their full and unconditional cooperation and support with the new UN peacekeeping force. Failure on the government of Sudan's part to do so will significantly undermine the Darfur peace agreement and prolong the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.”

Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters before entering the council chamber that China disagreed with the timing of the resolution.

In his explanation of the vote, Wang said, “We feel [the vote] … will not stop further deterioration of the situation in Darfur … and will cause problems in implementing the Darfur peace process”.

China had complained that the draft resolution seemed to impose the UN force on Sudan.

Last-minute changes to the resolution on Wednesday appeared to address this issue by reaffirming the council’s “strong commitment to the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Sudan, which would be unaffected by transition to a United Nations operation in Darfur”.

“The council is here to help Sudan not threaten it. It is here to aid Sudan, not undermine it,” said Karen Pierce, deputy British ambassador to the UN.

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This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2006