On Thursday July 31, The United Nations Security Council voted to extend by one year the mandate of the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. Although 14 countries voted in favour of continuing the "UNAMID" mission, the United States abstained from voting. The resolution extends the mission until July 31, 2009.

“[Peace] is still some ways off,” said John Sawers of the United Kingdom in the Security Council meeting. “It will require patience, determination, and the willingness to grapple difficult situations along the way, but peace is attainable and we must continue to strive for it.”

Recently, the UNAMID mission has been facing many obstacles in Darfur. Since the beginning of the year, UNAMID has deployed about 9,500 troops to Darfur, far short of the planned number of 26,000 troops and police officers.
Moreover, the security of humanitarian workers deployed by UNAMID has been threatened recently, creating concern about the success of the mission and the safety of peacekeepers. In July 2008, at least seven peacekeepers were killed and 22 were wounded by gunfire.

The peacekeeping mission also faces shortages in troops, personnel, helicopters, equipment, and logistics. The resolution calls on UN member states to pitch in and provide desperately needed supplies, especially helicopters, to help stabilize the situation. By the end of the year, the UN aims to have deployed 80% of the full mission of 26,000 troops.

The main debate surrounding the adoption of the resolution centered upon the indictment of the Sudanese president. There are currently efforts to indict Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in the International Criminal Court, for 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Sudan. However, this Security Council resolution makes it clear that the council is ready to discuss suspending the indictment of Bashir by the ICC if it means peace in Darfur. As a result, the United States abstained from voting.

“The United States abstained because language added to the resolution would send the wrong signal to Sudanese President Bashir” and undermine efforts to bring him to justice, said US Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff at the meeting.

Ultimately, many of the countries voting for the resolution differed in opinion on the issue of suspending the indictment of President Bashir. Some countries stated that this is an issue that should be considered seriously, but at a different time and in a different manner. Such a decision taken at this time could undermine trust between Sudan and the UN, and harm the fragile situation in Darfur. On the other hand, others - like the US - felt that impunity would not contribute to long-term political stability and that it is important to bring those responsible for human rights violations to justice.

Regardless of their views, most countries said that they had voted in favour of the resolution since the need to bring stability to Darfur is most important at this moment, and UNAMID must be given all possible resources necessary to successfully complete its mission.

What exactly is happening in Darfur?’

Although we have all heard about the ongoing genocide in Darfur, many of us are unfamiliar with the exact details of what is going on in the war-ravaged region, and why.

International experts estimate that at least 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced in Darfur since early 2003.

What is the war about?

In 2003, two non-Arab rebel groups launched attacks on military targets, accusing the Arab-dominated central government of neglect and discrimination. After these attacks, the Sudanese government is said to have funded Arab tribal fighters – called the Janjaweed – to quash the resistance. The political struggle intensified traditional tensions between the two groups.

Non-arabs say that the Janjaweed, or tribal Arab fighters, join Sudanese government forces on horses and camel, and attack villages, killing civilians, raping women, and looting and burning homes. The Sudanese government denies that it is funding the Janjweed, saying that the estimates of casualties and atrocities are grossly exaggerated.
However, Arab tribal leaders themselves say that the Sudanese government had asked Arab tribes to help fight the rebel groups.

The non-Arab rebel groups include the larger and more active Sudan Liberation Army and the smaller Justice and Equality Movement. Both groups say they want a fair share of power and resources in Darfur. They are suspected of seeking the central government’s overthrow.

Genocide is defined as the systematic extermination of a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group. The attacks by the pro-government side are often condemned as “genocide” because they seem to typically target non-Arab villages, also speaking of killing “blacks” or “slaves.”

The entire situation has been further exacerbated by desertification and climate change in the region; the Sahara Desert has advanced by about 10km per year, increasing competition for remaining fertile land.

Picture credit: One, Two, and Three.

Check out these websites for more information on Darfur, and how you can take action: Save Darfur; 24 Hours for Darfur; Darfur is Dying.