AMIS
Following the Darfur
crisis in sudan, African Union decided to deploy a peace keeping operation
soldiers for the sake of monitoring human rights and promoting humanitarian
assistance.
Resolution passed by AU in 2004,
with the approximation of 7000 soldiers
Darfur is
clearly a conflict that has been fought with a total disregard for
international humanitarian laws by all sides of the conflict. This is the
tragedy that AMIS was mandated to deal with but neither the mandate nor the
wherewithal to do so, its successor the hybrid UN African Mission in Darfur
(UNAMID) is now grippting with the same crisis.
AMIS’s
MANDATES.
At the time of
deploying it was restricted with only two mandates
v
Monitoring
the terms of ceasefire agreement between Khartoum
and the rebel factions
v
Protecting
themselves and those monitoring the ceasefire agreement
Five months later
AMIS was mandated with the following;
v
Ensure
that all parties complied with humanitarian ceasefire agreement (HCFA) with was
signed in N’djamena on 08th April 2004
v
Help in
confidence building among the various factions
v
Improve
the general security in Darfur
v
Oversee
the return of internally displaced persons and refugees
v
Protection
of civilians whom it encountered under imminent threat and in the immediate vicinity,
with resources and capabilities
CHALLENGES FACED AMIS
AU inability to
contain the Darfur conflict includes,
v
Restricted
mandates of AMIS
v
Piecemeal
cooperation of the Sudanese government
v
Rebels
activities
v
Lack of
adequate logistics and political division within the AU ( lacked militia
material and support)
v
Inadequate
plans, AMIS deployed in Darfur with very
little planning for such a complex and dangerous mission. The AU had no
experience as an organization in peace keeping
v
Implementing
a protection of civilian mandates with
the limited number of troops and resources at its disposal proved impractical.
NOTABLE FAILURES OF AMIS
v
The
mandate should have made the protection of civilians the sole and primary
responsibility of AMIS
v
In
extreme cases AMIS troops were abducted or killed by various militia groups
including Janjaweed.
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