United Nations

S/2007/596
Distr.: General 8 October 2007 Original: English

Security Council

Report of the Secretary-General on the deployment of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur I. Introduction
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to paragraph 6 of Security Council resolution 1769 (2007), by which the Council requested me to report every 30 days on the implementation of paragraph 5 of the resolution, which sets the following benchmarks for the deployment of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID): (a) No later than October 2007, UNAMID shall establish an initial operating capability for its headquarters and establish financial arrangements to cover troop costs for all personnel deployed to the African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS); (b) As of October 2007, UNAMID shall have completed preparations to assume operational command authority over the light support package, personnel currently deployed to AMIS and heavy support package and hybrid personnel as may be deployed by the date of transfer of authority; (c) AMIS. No later than 31 December 2007, UNAMID shall assume authority from

The report covers steps taken towards those goals during the month of September 2007.

II. Headquarters operating capability
2. In addition to the deployment of those senior personnel identified in my first report on the implementation of UNAMID (S/2007/517 and Corr.1), the African Union and the United Nations have been moving forward with the identification and recruitment of key UNAMID personnel who will constitute its initial operating capability. The appointment of Major General Karake Karenzi (Rwanda) as Deputy Force Commander of UNAMID was approved by the two organizations. The African Union and the United Nations have held joint interviews for the position of UNAMID Police Commissioner and are in the process of finalizing the selection for this post. It is anticipated that the UNAMID Police Commissioner will be recruited

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in October. The two organizations are also in the process of developing a shortlist for the position of UNAMID Chief of Staff.

III. African Union Mission in the Sudan and United Nations support
3. With the assistance of strategic airlift from AMIS partners, the rotation of AMIS troops is proceeding on schedule. The first AMIS battalions are planned to rotate within the first two weeks of October. This rotation will include the deployment at the end of October of two additional AMIS battalions, from Nigeria and Rwanda, which are required for the protection of heavy support package assets and personnel. The full rotation of AMIS troops will occur from October through December 2007. 4. United Nations military and police officers in the light and heavy support packages have been holding regular consultations with AMIS to identify and address all issues related to the transition from AMIS to UNAMID. To this end, light support and heavy support package officers in Darfur have co-located with their AMIS counterparts to facilitate their work. 5. Preparations for the deployment of heavy support package enabling units are in progress and the first engineering unit from China is expected to deploy to Nyala in mid-October. All reconnaissance visits have been completed, and negotiations on a memorandum of understanding have been held with half of the heavy support package troop-contributing countries. Pre-deployment inspection visits have been scheduled for October and November. 6. With respect to the deployment of formed police units in the heavy support package, Bangladesh, Nepal and Nigeria have now completed their reconnaissance visits to Khartoum and Darfur. The reconnaissance teams have returned to their home countries to commence preparations for deployment. The pre-deployment inspection visit to Bangladesh has also been completed, and the formed police unit from that country is expected to arrive in Darfur in mid-October. As the first police contributor scheduled to deploy a formed police unit to UNAMID, Indonesia has also completed its reconnaissance visit, and a pre-deployment visit is being scheduled.

IV. Force and personnel generation
7. The third meeting of troop- and police-contributing countries for UNAMID was held in New York on 19 September, co-chaired jointly by the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and the Permanent Observer of the African Union. The meeting highlighted those areas in which contributions are still outstanding, namely, aviation and heavy ground transportation, and requested potential troop and police contributors to make additional pledges in that regard. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations reiterated the United Nations commitment to maintaining the predominantly African character of the operation, while emphasizing the need to deploy a force which could effectively implement the mandate set out in resolution 1769 (2007). No additional troop or police contributions were pledged during the meeting.

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8. Three African Union officials have arrived in New York to work with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations on force generation and other issues pertaining to the deployment of UNAMID. The three officials -- a military officer, a police officer and a senior political affairs official -- will be in New York for a period of six months. 9. On 18 September 2007, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations forwarded to the Permanent Mission of the Sudan a list of troop-contributing countries jointly agreed upon by the United Nations and the African Union for participation in UNAMID. The list reflects offers from troop-contributing countries for the following requirements: eight infantry units, two multi-role logistics units, two reconnaissance companies, one composite transport unit, one force headquarters unit, one military police unit, three sector reserve companies, one force reserve company and one level II hospital. Subsequently, the African Union and the United Nations agreed on the list of troop-contributing countries for all remaining requirements for which troop-contributing countries had made pledges, and submitted it to the Government of the Sudan on 2 October.

V. Logistical arrangements
10. A meeting of the African Union, the United Nations and AMIS partners was held in Addis Ababa on 7 September with the aim of resolving the status of those assets which partner countries had donated to the AMIS operation. All parties agreed that partner-funded assets would be transferred to the United Nations for use by UNAMID. It was further agreed that the United Nations would transfer those assets to the African Union at the end of the UNAMID mandate. Currently, a United Nations team is in Darfur conducting a physical inspection of AMIS assets and equipment to ascertain the self-sustainment capability and condition of equipment on the ground in Darfur in preparation for the transfer of authority to UNAMID on 31 December 2007. 11. Strategic deployment stocks and other critical mission support assets are being pre-positioned in El Obeid, the UNAMID forward logistics base. The base is being expanded to support the UNAMID induction training programme as well as transit facilities for 750 individuals. 12. The sole-source contract for camp construction and support services for the initial four UNAMID camps in Nyala, El Fasher, Geneina and Zalingei has been completed and is awaiting final approval. The United Nations is continuing its efforts with the Government of the Sudan to resolve the outstanding issues pertaining to land agreements, use of heavy aircraft and permission to conduct night flying throughout all three Darfur States.

VI. Administrative and legal arrangements
13. A number of strategic and legal documents, including the military command directive for the Force Commander of UNAMID, the UNAMID rules of engagement, the directive for the Police Commissioner of UNAMID and the directive on detention, searches and use of force for the formed police units of UNAMID were finalized jointly and signed by the African Union and the United

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Nations on 25 and 26 September. Additional legal documents, such as the status-offorces agreement and the exchange of letters between the African Union and the United Nations, are being finalized. As indicated in my previous report, the exchange of letters articulates the legal terms of the African Union-United Nations partnership in Darfur in order to ensure the application of United Nations rules, regulations and procedures.

VII. Financial arrangements
14. The complete budget for UNAMID for the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 has been finalized and will be submitted to the General Assembly on 1 October 2007. 15. The reimbursement of AMIS troops, as required by paragraph 5 (a) of resolution 1769 (2007), is set to begin in October 2007.

VIII. High-level consultation on Darfur
16. On 21 September, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar Konaré, and I chaired a high-level meeting on Darfur with a view to mobilizing support for the international community's three-track approach to a lasting solution to that crisis: securing a political solution, deploying the African Union-United Nations peacekeeping operation, and providing humanitarian and recovery assistance to civilians affected by the conflict. The meeting was attended by representatives of 26 States, including the Sudan, the permanent members of the Security Council, members of the African Union Peace and Security Council and other countries of the region. High-level officials from the European Union and the League of Arab States also attended. The meeting was a powerful illustration of the international community's commitment to working with the Sudanese to achieve peace in Darfur. 17. Participants in the meeting confirmed their support for the forthcoming peace talks in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, scheduled to begin on 27 October, and expressed strong expectations that the negotiations would be inclusive and decisive. I also announced the creation of a trust fund to provide financial support for the talks, and I urged Member States to contribute to the fund. At the meeting, the African Union and the United Nations also appealed for support for their efforts to meet outstanding peacekeeping requirements for UNAMID, reaffirming their commitment to ensure the deployment of an effective operation with a predominantly African character. Participants in the meeting also stressed the importance of establishing an effective ceasefire monitoring mechanism, and emphasized that peace in all of the Sudan depended on continued efforts to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

IX. Observations
18. The implementation timeline for UNAMID is being delayed owing to the challenges encountered in efforts to obtain land for the construction of UNAMID offices and accommodation in Darfur, as well as delays in obtaining feedback

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regarding the list of troop-contributing countries submitted to the Government of the Sudan. It is of critical importance that the Government extend the support and cooperation necessary to resolve the issues pertaining to land, landing rights for United Nations aircraft and the finalization of the list of troop-contributing countries for UNAMID. 19. I remain extremely concerned about the continuing violence in Darfur. The ongoing loss of life and displacement of civilians is unacceptable and is not contributing to an atmosphere conducive to the peace talks which are to be held in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. I deplore in particular the brazen and brutal attacks, by as yet unidentified armed groups, on the AMIS group site in Haskanita, Southern Darfur, which were carried out on 29 and 30 September. Ten AMIS personnel were killed and 12 were wounded during the attack. One was still missing at the time of writing. The perpetrators of the attack must be identified and held fully accountable. This incident confirms that the African Union-United Nations force which will be deployed to Darfur must be sufficiently robust to defend itself from spoilers and protect civilians from attack. In the meantime, the African Union, with support from the United Nations, is investigating the attack, and AMIS is making contingency plans and reassessing the security situation in the area with a view to redeploying to Haskanita as soon as possible. 20. The brutal attack on the AMIS group site follows a series of other violent incidents in Haskanita, including aerial bombardments involving Government helicopter gunships, and military clashes on the ground between Government and rebel forces on 10 and 11 September. The United Nations and the African Union are also in the process of confirming reports that fighting between rebels and Government forces supported by militias occurred on the morning of 29 September. 21. I reiterate my appeal to all parties to recommit themselves in good faith, as a matter of the highest priority, to a peaceful resolution of the conflict and to observe an immediate cessation of hostilities. In this regard, I am encouraged by the statement made by President Al-Bashir during his recent visit to Italy, in which he indicated that his Government would observe a ceasefire in Darfur upon the commencement of the peace talks. I am concerned, however, by the statement made on 25 September by the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement, Khalil Ibrahim, that he would continue fighting during the peace talks and until a final settlement was reached. 22. In the meantime, preparations for the peace negotiations are ongoing. The fragmentation and lack of unity among the movements continue to be a cause of concern, and the Special Envoys, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, are working with all parties to assist them in their preparations for the talks. To that end, the Joint Mediation Support Team met with a number of representatives of the non-signatory movements on 19 and 20 September in N'Djamena. The main objective was to reach agreement on a common delegation for the talks. This did not prove possible, and the Special Envoys are continuing their consultations with the parties in this regard. The Special Envoys also intend to organize specific workshops 10 days prior to the beginning of the negotiations to provide targeted support to both the Government of the Sudan and the movements' delegations. 23. Other issues currently being discussed with the parties include the agenda, format and structure for the talks, as well as the parties' positions on the key issues to be discussed, namely, security arrangements, power-sharing and wealth-sharing.

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It is paramount that the parties now show seriousness and commitment and enter the negotiation process well prepared and in earnest so as to reach a final negotiated settlement to the conflict as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Special Envoys are also intensifying their consultations with civil society, traditional leaders, representatives of internally displaced persons and women's groups to ensure that the process is inclusive and enjoys the broad support of the population in Darfur. 24. The United Nations and the African Union have laboured hard on the peacekeeping, ceasefire and political tracks to give concrete expression to the will and strategy agreed on by the international community in Addis Ababa in November 2006. However, if these processes are to succeed, it is essential for all actors, including the Government of the Sudan, the rebel movements, neighbouring countries, regional organizations, troop and police contributors and the States Members of the United Nations, to translate words into deeds. For UNAMID to deploy and be effective, for a ceasefire to take place and hold, and for the political negotiations to begin and bear fruit, all must play their respective parts.

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