MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
23.10.2007
pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure
by Pasqualina Napoletano, Alain Hutchinson, Josep Borrell Fontelles
on behalf of the PSE Group
on the killing of African Union (AU) Peacekeepers in Sudan
B6‑0411/2007
European Parliament resolution on the killing of African Union (AU) Peacekeepers in Sudan
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Darfur,
- having regard to the Peace Agreement on Darfur, adopted in Abuja (Nigeria) on 5 May 2006,
- having regard to the Tripoli Consensus on the Political Process for Darfur, adopted in Tripoli on 28 and 29 April 2007,
- having regard to the African Union (AU) decision of April 2004 to establish the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS),
- having regard to UN resolution 1706 proposing a 22 000-strong peacekeeping force for Darfur,
- having regard to the statute of the International Criminal Court with regard to international peacekeeping missions;
- having regard to Rule 115 of its Rules of Procedure;
A. whereas on September 30, unidentified forces attacked an African Union base in Haskanita, South Darfur, killing 10 AU peacekeepers and civilian police, at least 8 other personnel from the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) were seriously injured and approximately 40 remain missing, according to AU statements;
B. whereas the loss of life was the worst suffered to date by the under-resourced AU force;
C. whereas the AMIS force in Darfur comprises approximately 7,000 troops and civilian police; for now, it is virtually the only force on the ground in Darfur providing civilian protection; a 26,000 member AU-UN hybrid operation, UNAMID, was authorized in July 2007 and is to be deployed (the UN is in charge of the force and there is a single chain of command);
D. whereas AMIS's mission has been to monitor the Darfur Peace Agreement and several other ceasefire agreements;
E. noting that attacks on AMIS personnel have increased in the past years; since the force was deployed in 2004, more than 25 soldiers and staff have been killed and dozens injured;
F. whereas since the failure of the Darfur Peace Agreement there has been a rise in lawlessness and increased insecurity;
G. noting that the "hybrid force", unlike the current African Union observers, will be able to use force to save lives;
H. whereas it will take a year or more before the peacekeeping mission reaches full strength;
1. Strongly condemns the killing of 10 African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, and considers it a war crime;
2. Calls on the United Nations and the African Union to conduct a full, independent and transparent inquiry into the attacks; urges all concerned to assist in identifying the perpetrators so they could be held accountable without delay; calls for the results of the inquiry to be made public;
3. Stresses that the fate of those peacekeepers still missing must be established, and demands that the group responsible for the attack account for their whereabouts immediately;
4. Deplores the fact that the attack was carried out at a time when the international community, including the African Union, is exerting maximum effort to resume peace talks on Darfur in Libya on 27 October and to deploy the United Nations - African Union "hybrid" force in Darfur to help put an end to the Darfur conflict;
5. Demands an immediate cessation of hostilities and attacks on AMIS, civilians and humanitarian agencies, their staff and assets and relief convoys;
6. Reminds the Government of Sudan that it bears the prime responsibility for internal security and action from the international community should not be taken as a pretext for abdicating this responsibility;
7. Welcomes the acceptance by the Government of Sudan (GoS) on 12 June 2007 of the AU/UN hybrid force, recalling however that the GoS has made previous unfulfilled commitments to allow the hybrid force into Sudan; calls for a rapid deployment of the AU/UN hybrid force with a mandate which enables it to efficiently protect civilians;
8. Underlines the urgent need to ensure that the African Union in Sudan has the resources necessary to enable the AMIS to carry out its responsibility to protect civilians;
9. Calls on the international community to fulfil its commitment as enough troops have been promised;
10. Calls on the EU and other international donors to urgently provide additional support to AMIS under its present structure, including long-term funding commitments as well as much needed technical support for a transitional period until the hybrid force is completely implemented;
11. Reiterates its deep concern for the security of humanitarian aid workers and their access to populations in need;
12. Reiterates its belief in the basis provided by the Darfur Peace Agreement and calls on the EU, the UN and the African Union to show a united front in efforts to resolve the conflict in Darfur and to prioritise a comprehensive peace process;
13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Heads of State and Government and Parliaments of the EU Member States, the Government and Parliament of Sudan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Heads of State and Government of the Arab League, the Governments of the ACP countries, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the Institutions of the African Union..