Darfur UN/AU peace force, world's most expensive

from the SABC

The hybrid UN/AU peace keeping force in Darfur will be the most expensive mission ever under-taken by international organisations. Several advocacy groups and NGOs that work in Darfur, told the US Congress that it will cost an estimated $3.4 billion for the first year alone, to maintain it.

Organisations that work in Darfur say the more the implementation of the UN Security Council’s resolution 1769, which authorizes the deployment of the hybrid force is delayed, the higher the cost of the mission will become. They say they are already working under enomous pressure from the warring factions and are also putting lives of their employees at risk.

A senior policy advisor for the humanitarian organisation Oxfam, Scott Stedjan, says: "Humanitarian vehicles are hijacked, staff are assaulted and abducted. Equipment is also stolen and damaged."

Congressmen accused the government of Khartoum of being part of the problem in Darfur and also lambasted it for not allowing The Elders, who have been touring that region this week, to do their job unhindered.

Insurmountable problems
The Elders, a group of public figures noted as elder statesmen, peace activists, and human rights advocates hope to solve global problems, using "almost 1 000 years of collective experience" to work on solutions for seemingly insurmountable problems like climate change, HIV/Aids, and poverty.

Former US president Jimmy Carter and the wife of former SA president Nelson Mandela Graca Machel were blocked by Sudenese security personnel from talking to refugees. Donald Payne, a US democratic congressman, says: "The lack of respect from that government is just mind-boggling. Jonh Garang used to say that the government of Sudan is too deformed to be reformed."

NGOs painted a very gloom picture in Darfur - women continue to be raped, killings are on-going and humanitarian situation is worsening. The Congress expressed concerns that the situation in Darfur is deteriorating even further regardless of the all efforts that are being made to find the solution. But neither Congress nor the White House seem to be prepared to make money available to fund the peace process in that region.