The European Parliament,

–  having regard to UN resolution 1706 proposing a 22 000-strong peacekeeping force for Darfur,

–  having regard to the AU summit held in Addis Ababa on 29-30 January 2007,

–  having regard to the Darfur Peace Agreement signed in Abuja, Nigeria, on 5 May 2006,

–  having regard to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed on 9 January 2005,

–  having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1714 of 6 October 2006,

–  having regard to the current AMIS mission whose mandate ends on 1 July 2007,

–  having regard to the visit to Sudan by China's President Hu Jintao in February 2007 and the conclusions of the EU-China Summit of 9 September 2006,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the Government of Sudan and rebel groups agreed to a 60-day ceasefire on 11 January 2007, but indiscriminate attacks on civilians and aid workers are continuing unabated with what aid agencies are describing as 'violence on a scale not seen before in Darfur'(1),

B.  whereas many humanitarian agencies and NGOs have withdrawn completely from Darfur, following a huge number of attacks on humanitarian workers,

C.  whereas on 16 November 2006 the high-level meeting held in Addis Ababa by the AU and UN resulted in an agreement on the deployment of an AU-UN hybrid force to Darfur, involving UN backstopping and command and control structures for an expanded peacekeeping presence in Darfur,

D.  whereas the Government of Sudan continues to delay the deployment of such a hybrid force, and has allowed the AU and UN so far to deploy only a light support package consisting of 105 military staff officers and just 33 police advisers,

E.  whereas the Darfur conflict - and impunity from prosecution - is increasingly affecting the stability of the neighbouring Central African Republic and Chad, and constitutes a threat to international peace and security,

F.  whereas the UN 'Responsibility to Protect' doctrine provides that where 'national authorities manifestly fail to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity,' others have a responsibility to provide the protection needed,

G.  whereas torture and forced conscription of adults and children has become a feature of the human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law in Darfur, with the victims of torture too scared to report the abuse to either AMIS or humanitarian workers for fear of retribution,

H.  whereas sexual violence against women and children has been recognised as a crime against humanity but systematic rape continues to be used as a weapon of war by parties in the Darfur conflict, and despite numerous assurances by the Sudanese Government, sexual violence continues unabated,

I.  whereas the UN Security Council has authorised the use of sanctions under UNSC Resolution 1591 against four individuals impeding the peace process and committing violations of international law (UNSC 1672), but whereas such sanctions have yet to be implemented,

J.  whereas the visit to Sudan on 2 February 2007 by President Hu Jintao of China has resulted in increased economic and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries, including an interest-free loan of $12.9 million and the cancellation of $80 million of Sudanese debt, as well as substantial construction deals,

K.   whereas in resolution 1593 of 31 March 2005 the UN Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), affirming that justice and accountability are critical to achieve lasting peace and security in Darfur,

L.   whereas the ICC can play an important role in ending impunity for crimes committed in Darfur, thereby contributing to the prevention of these crimes in accordance with the Rome Statute,

1.  Deplores the failure of the Council to put in place sanctions against the main perpetrators of the Darfur crisis in the Sudanese Government, despite having implemented sanctions against individuals from other countries including Belarus, DRC, Côte d'Ivoire, North Korea, Moldova, Myanmar and Zimbabwe; calls on the Council to act immediately to rectify this and to show its commitment to putting the humanitarian crisis in Darfur at the top of its political agenda;

2.  Calls on the UN to act in line with its 'Responsibility to Protect', basing its action on the failure or unwillingness of the Government of Sudan to protect its population in Darfur from war crimes and crimes against humanity, and also its failure to provide for humanitarian assistance to the population;

3.  Calls on the UN and the AU to ensure the deployment of the second and third phases of the hybrid force; calls on the Government of Sudan to allow the full and unimpeded deployment of the hybrid force as agreed at the 16 November high-level meeting; urges the UN and the AU to impose immediate punitive sanctions against those, including the Government of Sudan, who delay or hinder the work of such a force; underlines that such sanctions should include an oil embargo on the Government of Sudan;

4.  Further stresses that the objectives of such a force must respect humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which guarantee the security of humanitarian workers on the ground;

5.  Underlines that the hybrid force should have a full mandate to protect civilians in line with Chapter VII of the UN Charter;

6.  Deplores reports of continued Government of Sudan support to the Janjaweed and to Chadian rebels, as well as government aircraft bombing of the Darfur region, amounting to a clear and flagrant breach of the Darfur Peace Agreement;

7.  Condemns the continuing violations of the ceasefire by all parties; calls on all parties to put an immediate stop to military action and in particular to the violence, mass rape and sexual violence directed at the civilian population and those delivering humanitarian assistance;

8.  Calls on the EU to call for the urgent enforcement of the no-fly zone over Darfur established by UNSC Resolution 1591; urges the international community to liaise with Chad to discuss enforcing the no fly-zone from eastern Chad;

9.  Calls on the EU and the international community to reconvene peace talks to improve the content of the DPA and make it acceptable to all parties; calls on international actors to hold accountable all parties to the resulting agreement and urges all parties to the conflict in Darfur to show their commitment to a peaceful solution to the crisis by implementing the agreement without delay;

10.  Calls on the government and the main rebel groups to engage with all groups in Darfur society on the implementation of the DPA, including women and IDPs in particular, in order to address some of the fundamental causes of conflict such as land and grazing rights;

11.  Expresses increasing concern over the threat of regional insecurity and destabilisation resulting from the Darfur conflict; calls on all parties to stop support for militias and rebel movements in the region; welcomes the agreement of the Governments of Chad and the Central African Republic to allow a UN presence in their territories;

12.  Welcomes the 24 December 2006 peace agreement between the Government of Chad and the rebel group the United Front for Democratic Change, and the 2 February 2007 peace deal between the CAR Government and two rebels groups, the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity and the People’s Democratic Front;

13.  Calls for continued EU and international support for confidence-building measures, such as a Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation including all parties to the conflict as well as civil society;

14.  Calls for regular patrols around IDP camps to be established, in order to offer women a degree of protection from further sexual violence when collecting firewood, and to put in place reporting procedures on sexual violence so that victims can provide statements and evidence and be referred to relevant agencies for emergency treatment;

15.  Calls on all parties involved in the conflict in Sudan to refrain from the recruitment and forced conscription of child soldiers under the age of 18, and calls on the Sudanese authorities to protect displaced children, especially unaccompanied minors;

16.  Calls on the international community, in the event of continued inaction by the Government of Sudan, to extend the limited arms embargo provided for by UN Resolution 1591 to cover the whole of Sudan;

17.  Calls upon the international community, the Arab League and the UN to guarantee that the hybrid force has the troops, helicopters, satellite intelligence, translators, equipment, funding and basic provisions needed to carry out its role in Darfur;

18.  Calls on China to use its significant leverage in the region to hold the Government of Sudan to its commitments under the CPA and DPA; further calls on China to cease exporting arms to Sudan and to cease blocking decisions on targeted sanctions against the Government of Sudan in the UN Security Council;

19.  Calls on EU Foreign Ministers to take the lead on the immediate establishment of an International Trust Fund for the victims of atrocities in Darfur to be funded from Sudan's oil revenues, as recommended by the UN Commission of Inquiry in 2005;

20.  Encourages all relevant parties to continue to cooperate fully with the ICC;

21.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Heads of State and Government of the EU Member States, the Government and Parliament of Sudan, the United Nations Security Council, the Heads of State and Government of the Arab League and the Governments of the ACP countries.

(1) 'Humanitarian agencies warn Darfur operations approaching breaking point', press release from Action Against Hunger, CARE International, Oxfam International, Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision and Save the Children on outcome of AU Summit, 29 January 2007