Sudan/Darfur: Whither the Peacekeeping Mission?

After a little uncertainty, the UN Security Council voted 14-0 (with the US abstaining in protest of what the administration sees as problematic language about suspending the ICC indictment against al-Bashir) to extend the mandate of the peacekeepers in Darfur.

Activists at Save Darfur and elsewhere, meanwhile, are calling for the UN and the international community to keep their promises to Darfur, specifically by providing necessary support to the peacekeeping mission. Notably, that means helicopters.

year has passed [since the vote to deploy peacekeepers], and the world community has failed to deliver the basic support the mission needs to succeed.

One key gap in the force’s capability is its lack of helicopters, which can enable the force to operate effectively and react quickly. The force is seeking a mere 18 transport helicopters, but so far, no country has stepped forward to provide even one.

In that vein, activists brought a helicopter to UN headquarters in New York earlier this week in a symbolic protest against inaction. Human rights groups are also directing the UN's attention to a report which details the countries around the world capable of providing the needed helicopters, many of which "are collecting dust in hangars or performing in air shows around the world."

So we'll take the renewal of the mandate as good news, to an extent. But it's clear that a lot more concrete action will need to take place before the mission becomes truly effective.