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 Thierry Cornillet, Marios Matsakis
on behalf of the ALDE Group
on Sudan: Killing of African Union peace-keeping soldiers

B6‑0408/2007

European Parliament resolution on Sudan: Killing of African Union peace-keeping soldiers

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 30 September, 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 and, for now, 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;
• I.noting that a peacekeeping mission is not a peace-making one;
• 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.Demands an immediate cessation of hostilities and attacks on AMIS, civilians and humanitarian agencies, their staff and assets and relief convoys;
• 3.Considers that the Sudanese government and the rebel groups should cooperate fully with an independent investigation into the dreadful attack in Haskanita;
• 4.Stresses that customary laws of war and the statute of the International Criminal Court prohibit directing attacks against personnel and objects involved in international peacekeeping missions, so long as they are not directly involved in hostilities;
• 5.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;
• 6.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;
• 7.Calls on the international community to fulfil its commitment as enough troops have been promised; notes that Western nations are not rushing in with 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 hybrid force is completely implemented;
• 9.Reiterates its deep concern for the security of humanitarian aid workers and their access to populations in need;
• 10.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;
• 11.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 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.