Action Brief – African Union Mission in Sudan

Action Brief – African Union Mission in Sudan
Our Urgent Recommendation to the Government of Canada
That Canada strengthens its contribution to the African Union Mission in Sudan by providing increased and urgently needed funding and technical assistance for logistics and communications.
Issue
The African Union Mission is Sudan is very small for such a large and isolated area. It will need extensive logistics and communications support if it is to fulfill its mandate. Also, based on experience in the field, it may need to be increased in size again.
Background
On 8 April 2004 the Government of Sudan and the two rebel groups, Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM) and the Sudan Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) signed a Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement. The agreement provided for a complete cessation of all military activity, unrestricted humanitarian access to IDPs and refugees, neutralization of the armed militias by the Government of Sudan, the concentration armed rebel groups in identified areas and the formation of a Ceasefire Commission and appropriate monitoring force.

On 28 May 2004 the parties signed the Agreement on the Modalities for the establishment of the Ceasefire Commission and the Deployment of Observers in Darfur. The first AU observers were to be deployed to Darfur by 2 June 2004. On 28 October 2004 the AU agreed to augment the original AMIS monitoring force from approximately 300 personnel to 3320 personnel including 2341 military, among them 450 observers, up to 815 civilian police and appropriate civilian personnel. These additional deployments commenced on 28 October and will continue over the next few months.

Under the original plan much of the logistics infrastructure and on-site facilities were to be provided by the Government of Sudan. This new and much larger force will require substantial additional logistics that are unlikely to be available from the Government of Sudan.

Canada has experience in providing logistics and communications for a long distance force. A commitment to provide technical advisers and communications detachments would demonstrate Canada’s resolve to support this mission.

©CFS
2004