MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

23.10.2007

with request for inclusion in the agenda for the debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure
by Jürgen Schröder, José Ribeiro e Castro, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Colm Burke, Charles Tannock, Eija-Riitta Korhola, Bernd Posselt
on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
on the killing of African Union peace-keepers in Darfur

B6‑0421/2007

European Parliament resolution on the killing of African Union peace-keepers in Darfur

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Darfur,

-  having regard to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary resolution on the situation in Darfur, adopted in Wiesbaden on 28 June 2007,

-  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 UN Security Council resolution 1778 of 25 September 2007, which provides for the deployment of a multi-dimensional international presence in eastern Chad and northeastern Central African Republic (CAR) comprised of a UN mission (MINURCAT), a Chadian police force trained by the UN, and a European Union military operation (EUFOR);

-  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 upsurge of violence in South Darfur in the past weeks has led to the killing of three World Food Programme (WFP) drivers and has prompted the medical aid group Médecins Sans Frontières to pull its staff out of Muhajiriya town leaving many displaced people medically unattended;
• D.whereas the African Union Mission In Sudan (AMIS) force in Darfur comprises approximately 7,000 troops and civilian police at the present moment, and is virtually the only force on the ground in Darfur providing civilian protection; whereas a 26,000 member AU-UN hybrid operation, UNAMID, was authorized in July 2007 and is yet to be deployed (with the UN in charge of the force and with a single chain of command);
• E.whereas AMIS's mission has been to monitor the Darfur Peace Agreement and several other ceasefire agreements;
• F.noting that attacks on AMIS personnel have increased lately; since the force was deployed in 2004, more than 25 soldiers and staff have been killed and dozens injured;
• G.whereas since the failure of the Darfur Peace Agreement there has been a rise in lawlessness and increased insecurity;
• H.welcoming the fact that the UNAMID force unlike the current African Union observers are authorised to intervene actively to save lives;
• I.whereas it will take a year or more before the peacekeeping mission reaches full strength;
• J.deeply saddened and shocked by the violent deaths and looting around the towns of Haskanita and Muhajiriya,
• 1.Strongly condemns the killing of 10 African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, and considers this a war crime to be promptly investigated by the United Nations and the African Union;
• 2.Deplores the increasing insecurity in the region, as shown by these violent acts and as constantly reported from Darfur by international observers and deployed NGOs;
• 3.Calls on the Sudanese government and the rebel groups to cooperate fully with an independent investigation into the dreadful attack in Haskanita and to bring all those responsible to justice;
• 4.Stresses that customary laws of war prohibit directing attacks against personnel and objects involved in international peacekeeping missions, so long as they are not directly involved in hostilities;
• 5.Welcomes the acceptance by the Government of Sudan (GoS) on 12 June 2007 of the UNAMID force, recalls however that the GoS has made previous unfulfilled commitments to allow the hybrid force into Sudan; calls, for a rapid deployment of the UNAMID force with a mandate which enables it to efficiently protect civilians;
• 6.Reminds the Government of Sudan that it bears the prime responsibility for internal security, and that it should not abdicate this responsibility in favour of the international community;
• 7.Calls on the international community to fulfil its commitment and provide the troops that have been promised; notes that the international community is not forthcoming with the supply of military hardware;
• 8.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 UNAMID is deployed;
• 9.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;
• 10.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU Commission and Council, the UN Secretary General, the AU Commission, the ACP-EU JPA and the Government of Sudan.