Group tasks world over Darfur aid
NEW YORK (AP) — A Darfur advocacy group complained Wednesday that nations aren’t doing enough to help the U.N. peacekeeping mission for the stricken Sudanese region, urging them to provide helicopters and other equipment needed to protect civilians.
Without helicopters, the force’s ability to respond quickly to events and fulfill its mandate to protect civilians is severely compromised, said a report released by the Save Darfur Coalition.
The report, written by aviation expert Thomas Withington, said military powers like the U.S., Britain and France are tied down in wars and other peacekeeping operations.
But it singled out the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Spain, Ukraine and India, saying they have suitable aircraft needed for the mission.
The report came on the first anniversary of the U.N. Security Council resolution that authorized the Darfur peacekeeping mission, which is struggling to get enough troops and equipment. Council members are debating this week the mission’s renewal, which expires Thursday.
The peacekeeping force, a joint operation of the United Nations and African Union, has only about a third of its authorized 26,000 personnel.
A U.N. official in Darfur told The Associated Press the mission has only 27 transport helicopters, all commercially leased.
