New House Resolution Urges US and International Community to Support UNAMID Force
June 26, 2008
Earlier this month, a House resolution was introduced urging the international community, including the United States, to provide the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) with the essential resources it needs to fulfill its mandate. The resolution (H. Res. 1245), which is currently awaiting action in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was introduced by Representative Michael Capuano (D-MA) and has the bipartisan support of 45 co-sponsors.
Specifically, the resolution urges members of the international community with the capacity to do so to provide both tactical and utility helicopters to the UNAMID peacekeeping force as soon as possible. It also calls on the President himself to act on behalf of the UNAMID mission by asking other heads of state to provide the force with aircraft and crews. In addition, the resolution urges the Department of State to convene the UN Security Council, the Friends of UNAMID working group and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations for a special meeting to work on resolving “outstanding force resource and equipment issues.”
In a press release earlier this month, Representative Capuano, a co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Sudan Caucus, discussed the impact the helicopters would have on the efficacy of the UNAMID force, stating, “It has been almost a year since the United Nations Security Council authorized UNAMID and still the force is struggling to carry out its mandate to protect civilians in Darfur. Only a fraction of the authorized force has been deployed and they are encountering great difficulty getting personnel and supplies where they are needed. By simply increasing the number of helicopters available, more lives can be saved.”
Capuano continued, noting, “UNAMID is still waiting for 18 transport and 6 attack helicopters it requested from the international community. Without these helicopters, peacekeepers cannot adequately patrol or respond to attacks. Every day that UNAMID goes without the needed helicopters, more Darfuris are at risk.”
The House resolution mirrors a nearly identical resolution adopted by the Senate earlier this year. The resolution, S. Res. 432, introduced by Senators Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and Richard G. Lugar (R-IN), calls on the international community, including the United States, to provide helicopters for the UNAMID force, and for the President to personally call other heads of state and ask that they contribute the needed helicopters and crew members to the peacekeeping mission.
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