Letter dated 10 August 2006 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council I am writing to you in order to provide an update to members of the Security Council on major developments which have taken place subsequent to the finalization of my recent report to the Council on Darfur (S/2006/591), issued on 28 July 2006. In the past few weeks, there has been an upsurge in violence in the region, mostly in Northern Darfur and areas near the Chad border, resulting in civilian deaths and displacement and jeopardizing the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide life-sustaining assistance to hundreds of thousands of war-affected people. The violence emanated principally from fighting between Darfur Peace Agreement signatories and non-signatory groups. In mid-July the faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) loyal to Minni Arkoi Minawi clashed repeatedly with rebel groups that have not signed the Darfur Peace Agreement, in and near the towns of Birmaza, Muzbat, Umm Sidir and Donkey Hosh in Northern Darfur. Reports indicate that both sides suffered high casualties during the course of the fighting. Allegations have also been made that the Government provided support to Minawi’s forces during the attacks and that Chadian forces crossed the border to support military action by rebel groups opposing the Agreement. Early in July the Minawi faction of the SLM/A also captured Korma town, in Northern Darfur, which had been aligned with the SLM/A faction loyal to Abdelwahid al-Nur, who has refused to sign the Darfur Peace Agreement. In the ensuing weeks, Minawi elements of the SLM/A, often accompanied by armed tribesmen, looted villages and livestock in the area around Korma and Tawila town, killing at least 100 civilians in the process. As a direct result of the unrest in Northern Darfur, during July 2006 approximately 20,000 internally displaced persons sought refuge in camps for the displaced located north of El Fasher. The new arrivals reported indiscriminate killings, rape and abduction in their villages. During the same period there was also fighting in Western Darfur, where Government forces and rebels clashed in the Jebel Moon area, and in Southern Darfur, where in one particularly reprehensible incident several hundred militiamen attacked a group of women collecting shelter materials outside Kalma camp, south of Nyala, raping 17 of them. July was a harrowing month for humanitarian workers in Darfur as well. According to statistics compiled by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there were 36 reported attacks on humanitarian operations during the month, and nine staff members were killed. The attacks included the ambush or hijacking of 19 vehicles transporting humanitarian assistance personnel or materials. As a result of the fighting and direct targeting of humanitarian workers, only 50 per cent of the civilians affected by the conflict can be reached by humanitarian organizations. The rest, some 1.6 million people, are either inaccessible or can be reached only by putting the lives of aid workers directly at risk. In addition to those operational blockages, only 43 per cent of the $799 million required for the 2006 humanitarian assistance operation in Darfur has been made available. In the meantime, there has been some progress in implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement, although some deadlines relating to key aspects of the agreement have been missed. The Government submitted its plan for disarming the Janjaweed to the African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) on 23 June 2006. In respect of power-sharing, the State assemblies of Northern and Southern Darfur convened emergency sessions to amend their interim state constitutions to allow for increased numbers of ministers and assembly members in accordance with the Darfur Peace Agreement. Minni Arkoi Minawi has been appointed Senior Assistant to the President, and representatives of his faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army have met with Government officials in Khartoum to establish joint committees to address implementation of the Agreement. With regard to the sharing of wealth, the joint assessment mission called for in the Agreement has been initiated. Nevertheless, implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement is behind schedule and facing difficulties. Both signatories to the Agreement have violated the ceasefire arrangements, while non-signatories have violated pre-existing ceasefire obligations. Basic aspects of mechanisms for implementing the ceasefire are yet to be clarified, including the relationship between the previous N’Djamena ceasefire commission and the current ceasefire monitoring mechanisms based on the Darfur Peace Agreement. While the plan for disarming the Janjaweed has been submitted by the Government, the Darfur Peace Agreement required the Government to restrict Janjaweed activity to designated areas by 20 July 2006. The violence of the last six weeks indicates that this has not yet been achieved. In relation to power-sharing, a number of critical deadlines have passed. All senior state and national Government and civil service appointments were to have been finalized and the parties were to have established the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority by 15 June 2006. The same deadline had been set for key actions in the area of wealth-sharing, including the establishment of the Darfur Reconstruction and Development Fund and the Darfur Rehabilitation and Resettlement Commission. A later deadline of 15 July 2006 had been set for establishment of a compensation commission. All the above-mentioned deadlines have been missed. In that tremendously difficult environment, AMIS has been making efforts to fulfil its obligations emanating from the Darfur Peace Agreement, but it continues to encounter enormous challenges in doing so. The AU mission also faces continued uncertainty with regard to its funding. Despite a relatively positive result from the Brussels pledging conference of 18 July, information made available by the African Union Commission indicates that there may not be sufficient funding in place to support AMIS for the remainder of its current mandate, which expires on 30 September 2006. As the Council is aware, supporting implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement by strengthening AMIS until the transition to a United Nations operation on 1 January 2007 is the central, two-step proposal of my recent report on Darfur (S/2006/591). In response to the Government of Sudan’s opposition to that proposal, the United Nations has engaged it in continuous, intensive consultations to address whatever concerns it may have. While five such consultations have taken place, those contacts must now bring about a mutually agreeable solution on the issue. As part of the process of consultation, I received from President Al-Bashir, on 8 August 2006, a copy of the plan of the Government of Sudan to restore stability and protect civilians in Darfur. A preliminary review of the document does not indicate a willingness on the part of the Government of Sudan to agree to a transition to a United Nations operation in Darfur. While the Government maintains its firm opposition, the situation on the ground is deteriorating, and the AU mission’s ability to function for the remainder of 2006 is being jeopardized by a funding crisis. The Council may wish to give urgent consideration to the preceding issues in order to ensure that the efforts of the international community to put an end to the suffering of the people of Darfur can be brought to a successful conclusion. I should be grateful if you would bring this letter to the attention of the members of the Security Council. (Signed) Kofi A. Annan   sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT S/2006/645 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT S/2006/645 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 06-46593 \* MERGEFORMAT 2 \* MERGEFORMAT 3 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 06-46593 United Nations S/2006/645 Security Council Distr.: General 14 August 2006 Original: English jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 06-46593 (E) 140806 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0646593*