UN Security Council Resolution 1769: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is UN Resolution 1769?

A: The UN Security Council determined that the situation in Darfur constitutes a threat to international peace and security, and therefore passed Resolution 1769 authorizing the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), a peacekeeping mission under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

Q: What is the purpose of UN Resolution 1769?

A: Through Resolution 1769 and in keeping with Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the Security Council has authorized UNAMID to “take the necessary action” to: (1) support early and effective implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement, prevent disruption of its implementation and armed attacks, and most importantly to protect civilians, without prejudice to the responsibility of the Government of Sudan; and to (2) protect its personnel, facilities, installations and equipment, and to ensure security and freedom of movement of its own personnel and humanitarian workers. UNAMID will also monitor and report on any illegal arms present in Darfur in violation of the Darfur arms embargo.

Q: When was UN Resolution 1769 passed?

A: The UN Security Council unanimously passed the resolution on July 31, 2007.

Q: What is the mission of UNAMID?

A: As per both Resolution 1769 and the Report of the Secretary General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission of June 5, 2007, UNAMID’s mission is to: restore security to allow continued humanitarian assistance; protect civilians; monitor ceasefire agreements signed since 2004; help implement the Darfur Peace Agreement; ensure an inclusive political process and support AU-UN efforts to broaden and deepen commitment to the peace process; provide a secure environment for reconstruction, development, and return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes; promote human rights and basic freedoms; promote the rule of law by strengthening independent judiciary, prison system and development of legal framework; monitor security situation at borders with Chad and the Central African Republic.

Q: How much will the mission cost?

A: The UNAMID is estimated to cost roughly $2.5 billion a year, in addition to start-up costs.

Q: Who will fund the mission?

A: UN member states will fund the mission through the UN assessment scale. The United States will pay 27.1% of the cost.

Q: When will the mission deploy?

A: Resolution 1769 requires that UNAMID establish an operation headquarters and be ready to take command of the Light and Heavy Support Packages and cover the costs for AMIS (African Union Mission in Sudan) by October 2007. UNAMID is to achieve full operational capacity as soon as possible, but no later than December 31, 2007, acknowledging that deployment of troops and police will continue into the early months of 2008.

Q: How many troops will there be?

A: The total size of the UNAMID mission is expected to be just over 31,000 troops, police, and personnel. UNAMID will consist of up to 19,555 military personnel, including 360 military observers and liaison officers, and an appropriate civilian component including up to 3,772 police personnel and 19 formed police units comprising up to 140 personnel each.

Q: Where will the troops come from?

A: UNAMID troops will be predominantly from Africa, with contributions from other countries if African nations are unable to meet the force requirements. UNAMID will also necessarily contain higher function units, such as communications, air support, and engineers, from non-African nations.

Q: Who has already pledged troops?

A: As of September 17, 2007, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Bangladesh, Jordan, Malaysia, Nepal, and Thailand have pledged infantry troops. Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal and Pakistan have pledged police units. Australia, France, China, and Denmark have also offered support personnel.

Q: Does the force need additional troops or equipment?

A: The force has sufficient infantry troop commitments, though it remains to be seen whether all commitments will be fulfilled. UNAMID also still needs helicopters, engineers, and transport personnel and equipment.

Q: When is the UN’s deadline for contributions?

A: Resolution 1769 required the UN to finalize contributions for UNAMID by August 31, 2007. That deadline has already been missed.

Q: How is UN Resolution 1769 different from previous UNSC Resolutions on Darfur?

A: UN Resolution 1769 is the first unanimously adopted resolution authorizing a peacekeeping force for Darfur, and thus has greater international support for its implementation. Resolution 1769 was preceded in 2006 by Resolution 1706, which passed the Security Council despite opposition from China, Russia, and Qatar. Due to Sudanese obstruction and a lack of overwhelming international support, Resolution 1706 has the dubious honor of being the first ever UN peacekeeping mission to fail to deploy once authorized by the Security Council. Resolution 1769, on the other hand, was passed unanimously by the Security Council, and has been accepted by Sudan. It nearly quadruples the number of troops currently on the ground, provides protection for aid workers and does not explicitly require Sudan’s consent.

Q: What will be the chain of command between AMIS and UNAMID?

A: There will be a single chain of command and UNAMID will incorporate AMIS and the UN Light and Heavy Support Packages. The command and control structures and backstopping will be provided by the UN. UNAMID is to take over authority from AMIS before the end of 2007. The UN and AU have jointly appointed Rodolphe Adada as the political head of the mission, and Martin Agwai as the force commander.

Q: What are the next steps for the UN and the African Union?

A: The UN and the AU will act to: transport supplies already in Port Sudan to Darfur; continue to recruit troops, soldiers, police and other key personnel and equipment; hire contractors as necessary to supply food, water, fuel and other logistical support; secure land for barracks; complete deployment of Heavy Support Package and the balance of the UNAMID force; continue a dialogue with donor countries; maintain a dialogue between the AU and the UN on command and control issues. The UN and AU also have the joint lead on facilitating a renewed and inclusive peace process for Darfur.

Q: Who will lead and oversee the UNAMID?

A: The UN Security Council has appointed Rodolphe Adada, former foreign minister of the Republic of Congo, as AU-UN Joint Special Representative for Darfur, and Martin Agwai, of Nigeria, as Force Commander.

Q: What is not included in UN Resolution 1769?

A: Two main provisions – the threat of sanctions against the Khartoum regime in the event of non-compliance, and authorization of UNAMID to seize or collect illegal arms in Darfur in violation of the UN-mandated Darfur arms embargo – were both stripped from the final version of Resolution 1769. The current resolutions states that the UNAMID will monitor existing arms embargos for violations. In addition, the resolution does not condemn the Government of Sudan for its obstruction and harassment of humanitarian workers over the past four years.

Q: What are UN Resolution 1769’s weaknesses?

A: The language is somewhat vague on the mandate to protect civilians and on UNAMID’s command-and-control structure. It will be necessary to maintain political pressure on all relevant parties to ensure the strongest possible interpretation of these sections of Resolution 1769. There is no mention of the violence which has spread from Darfur into eastern Chad and the Central African Republic. UNAMID has no provisions for halting aerial assaults from Khartoum, and therefore no authority to disable aircraft implicated in attacks on civilians or found to be in violation of any cease-fire agreement. The number of troops may yet prove inadequate, given the sheer size of Darfur, a region as large as Texas.

Q: What are some challenges UN Resolution 1769 and UNAMID may face?

A: Success is contingent upon Sudan’s cooperation, and therefore the UN Security Council and the international community must be prepared to enact and enforce punitive consequences upon the Sudanese government for any obstruction of Resolution 1769’s implementation. The strength of UNAMID depends on the contributions – of troops, police, equipment, funding, and diplomatic support – of UN member states. In addition, Darfur is a remote and austere region with limited water resources and a harsh climate, and 31,000 personnel will need to be housed, fed, transported, as well as replenished or rotated. Troop contributors are often reluctant to put their soldiers in harm’s way, and may try to place qualifications on their troops assigned to UNAMID. Additionally, many of the troops may be contributed without full complements of equipment and provisions.

Even assuming a full deployment of UNAMID, the ultimate goal of bringing lasting peace to Darfur will only be achieved through the will of the Darfuri people, and the Sudanese government, to agree upon a workable political solution. Equal efforts must be made by the UN, AU, and member states to engage constructively in the UN-AU led peace process.

Finally, it is also imperative that the various rebel factions respect a ceasefire, and put the interest of the people they claim to represent above their own political interest in their negotiations with the Sudanese government.

For a copy of UN Security Council Resolution 1769, please click here.