Up to 300,000 people are thought to have died and at least two and a half million displaced from their homes in Darfur since fighting broke out in 2003 between the Government of Sudan and its allied Janjaweed militia, and other armed rebel groups. Widespread atrocities such as the murder of civilians and the rape of women and girls have been committed from the start of the conflict and continue.

The UN raised the alarm on the crisis in Darfur in 2003 and finding a lasting resolution has been a top priority for the Security Council and two consecutive Secretaries-General.

Under the auspices of the African Union (AU) and with support of the UN and other partners, the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was signed on 5 May 2006. Intensive diplomatic and political efforts to bring the non-signatories into the peace process continue.

In accordance with the decision of the 16 November 2006 High-Level consultations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, — attended by the former Secretary-General, the five Permanent Members of the Security Council, representatives of the Government of Sudan, the AU and other States and organizations with political influence in the region — the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) developed and implemented a three-phased approach to augment the existing African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and deploy an unprecedented joint AU/UN peacekeeping operation in Darfur.

Intensive private and public diplomacy by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and several actors in the international community resulted in Sudan’s acceptance of this force in June 2007. It was formally established by the Security Council on 31 July 2007 through the adoption of resolution 1769, which authorized the establishment of the African Union/UN Hybrid operation in Darfur, referred to by its acronym UNAMID, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, for an initial period of 12 months. UNAMID formally took over from AMIS on 31 December 2007. The mandate was extended on 31 July 2008 with the adoption of Security Council resolution 1828 for a further 12 months, until 31 July 2009.

UNAMID has the protection of civilians as its core mandate, but is also tasked with contributing to security for humanitarian assistance, monitoring and verifying implementation of agreements, assisting an inclusive political process, contributing to the promotion of human rights and the rule of law, and monitoring and reporting on the situation along the borders with Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR).

The mission’s headquarters is in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. It has further sector headquarters in El Fasher, El Geneina and Nyala, and will have up to 55 deployment locations throughout the three Darfur states.

At full strength, UNAMID will have almost 20,000 troops, more than 6,000 police and a significant civilian component, making it one of the largest UN peacekeeping operations in history. Its budget of $1.7 billion for the fiscal year 2008-2009 is the largest of UN peacekeeping operations.

However, UNAMID’s full deployment has been hampered by a lack of cooperation from the Government of Sudan, delays in the readiness of troop and police contributors to deploy, the prohibitive environment, and the immense logistical challenges inherent to Darfur. The force on the ground as of late 2008 included units from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa.

UNAMID’s composition respects concerns expressed by the Government of Sudan, maintaining a predominantly African character, while ensuring that the force is capable of fulfilling its Security Council mandate.

Throughout 2008, UNAMID continued to face shortfalls in troops and critical transport and aviation assets (i.e. utility and ‘light tactical’ helicopters). The Secretary-General has led appeals to the international community to provide the mission with the capabilities it needs, especially helicopters, so that it can fulfil its mandate and live up to the expectations of the people of Darfur and the international community.

In the meantime, UNAMID is doing all in its power and with limited resources to provide protection to civilians in Darfur, facilitate the humanitarian aid operation, and help provide an environment in which peace can take root.

Political process

UNAMID’s work is complemented by joint efforts on the political front. Until mid-2008, this was led by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Darfur, Jan Eliasson, and the AU Special Envoy for Darfur, Salim Ahmed Salim. On 30 June 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and AU Commission Chairperson Jean Ping appointed Djibril Yipene Bassole, the Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso, as the new joint AU-UN Chief Mediator for Darfur. Mr. Bassole will conduct mediation efforts on a full-time basis from El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state and the site of UNAMID’s headquarters.