By Patrick Worsnip
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Prospects for peace in Darfurhave grown more remote amid declining security, worseconditions for refugees and reluctance by the warring partiesto negotiate, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said on Wednesday.
A U.N. and African Union peace force known as UNAMID wasgradually deploying in the violence-torn west Sudanese region,but it was still too weak to carry out its mandate, Jean-MarieGuehenno told the Security Council in one of his bleakestassessments.
Guehenno described as a "deeply disturbing development" anattack on Khartoum last weekend by the Darfur rebel Justice andEquality Movement and said he was very concerned that UNAMIDhad failed to spot the fighters heading for Sudan's capital.
"The incident underscores the serious shortfalls in themission's resources, especially aerial reconnaissancecapabilities," he said.
Equally worrying, he said, was an unconfirmed reportreceived by UNAMID that another rebel group, SLA-Unity, hadassembled more than 40 vehicles to attack the North Darfurcapital of El Fasher, where the mission is headquartered.
In Sudan, SLA-Unity has said no attack is planned.
Recent clashes between government forces and rebels andamong rebel factions, growing volatility on the Sudan-Chadborder and increased banditry meant "the security situation inDarfur is deteriorating at an alarming rate," Guehenno said.
The violence had forced more than 150,000 people to fleetheir homes this year alone, he said.
The clashes and a recent decision forced on the U.N. WorldFood Program by truck hijackings to halve rations to 3 millionpeople it feeds in Darfur meant the situation of civiliansthere was "growing more precarious by the day."
POLITICAL WILL
In the past year, Guehenno said, "the situation in Darfurhas grown infinitely more complex, and prospects for peace seemmore remote.
"The parties are not demonstrating the political will toabandon the military option, engage in negotiations or fullycooperate with UNAMID and the humanitarian community."
U.N. officials estimate that as many as 300,000 people mayhave been killed in the five-year-old Darfur conflict. Khartoumsays the figure is only about 10,000.
Peace talks in Libya last October got nowhere. U.N. and AUenvoys are trying to bring the Sudanese government and fiverebel groups together in Geneva by the end of May but thosetalks will be limited to improving the security situation.
Guehenno, due to step down at the end of June after eightyears in the job, said that despite the problems the U.N. wouldpress ahead with deploying UNAMID, which is meant ultimately toconsist of 26,000 troops and police.
At present its strength stands at just over 9,000. Under arevised schedule it now aims to be 80-percent deployed by theend of this year. But Guehenno admitted that even that figurewas an "ambitious calculation."
The mission has been plagued by the reluctance ofcontributors to supply key assets such as helicopters, disputeswith Khartoum over details, and general insecurity that meansit takes seven weeks for supplies to travel the 1,400 miles(2,200 km) from Port Sudan to Darfur.
(Editing by Xavier Briand)
