:: EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SUDAN IN Tehran ::

Communique of the 28th Meeting of the Peace and Security Council

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), meeting at its 28th meeting, on 28 April 2005, adopted the following communiqué on the enhancement of the AU Mission in the Sudan (AMIS):
Council,

1. Takes note of the report of the Chairperson on the Situation in the Darfur Region of the Sudan [PSC/PR/2(XXVIII)];

2. Expresses satisfaction at the progress made in the deployment of AMIS following its decision of 20 October 2004 [PSC/PR/Comm(XVII)], in particular the fact that the deployment of the AMIS military component has been completed. Council requests the Commission to speed up the deployment of the civilian police component of AMIS, and calls upon Member States that have been approached by the Commission to provide police personnel to expeditiously do so;

3. Notes that, in spite of the hard work done by AMIS and the improvements recorded in those areas in which the Mission is deployed, the current force is extremely stretched to effectively implement its mandate. Council further notes that the level of compliance with the N'djamena Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement of 8 April 2004 and the Abuja Protocols on Humanitarian and Security Issues of 9 November 2004 remains insufficient, with persistent attacks against civilians and other violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as attacks against humanitarian workers and agencies, AMIS personnel and assets, inter-tribal violence, acts of banditry and attacks against commercial convoys;

4. Urges all the Parties, namely the Government of the Sudan (GoS), the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement/ Army (SLM/A), to fulfil all their commitments, including those spelt out in the N'djamena Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement, the Abuja Protocols on Humanitarian and Security Issues, the decisions of the Joint Commission, especially at its 6th and 7th sessions, held in N'djamena, on 3 to 4 January and 16 to 17 February 2005, respectively, and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

5. Welcomes the decision of the GoS to withdraw all its Antonov bombers from Darfur and urges for additional steps to be taken to facilitate the restoration of confidence and security in Darfur; 6. Notes the substantial progress made in the withdrawal of GoS troops from the positions they occupied following their December 2004 offensive, as requested by the 6th and 7th sessions of the Joint Commission;

7. Welcomes the despatch of an AU-Led Assessment Mission to the Sudan, from 10 to 22 March 2005, and encourages the Commission, working with PSC Members and the Partners, to undertake such periodic reviews as necessary, to ensure that AMIS is provided with adequate structure and support to enable it effectively discharge its mandate;

8. Requests the Commission to vigorously pursue its efforts to bring AMIS to full operational capability by the end of May 2005, including by urgently addressing the gaps identified by the AU-Led Assessment Mission, as they relate, among others, to the structure of the Mission, command and control, logistic support and operations. Council urges Member States that have been approached by the Commission to second qualified staff for the Darfur Integrated Task Force (DITF) for strategic level support and planning, as well as resource generation and management, to expeditiously do so;

9. Endorses the Conclusions [MSC/EXP/Con.(III)] of the 3rd Meeting of the Military Staff Committee (MSC) held in Addis Ababa, on 25 April 2005, and the recommendations on the enhancement of AMIS contained in the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission, as reviewed by the MSC, including the steps to be taken for AMIS to promote a more secure environment and confidence-building measures, as well as protect civilians and humanitarian operations. Council consequently requests the Commission to review the concept of operation of the AMIS civilian police component to enable it perform its tasks, as appropriate, in areas where there is no GoS police presence. Council further decides that AMIS strength be increased to a total of 6,171 military personnel, with an appropriate civilian component, including up to 1,560 civilian police personnel, by the end of September 2005;

10. Requests AU Member States approached by the Commission to provide troops and civilian police personnel for the enhancement of AMIS to expeditiously and positively respond. Council further requests Member States that are in a position to do so to provide financial and logistical support to enable AMIS effectively discharge its mandate;

11. Expresses its gratitude to all AU Partners for their critical support, both financial and logistical, that made it possible to deploy and sustain AMIS. Council appeals to them to continue to provide support to meet the requirements for the strengthening and sustainment of AMIS, as decided in paragraph 9 of the present decision. Further, Council requests the Commission to engage all potential contributors within the international community to provide necessary additional support for the strengthening of AMIS;

12. Takes note with satisfaction of the growing convergence within the international community that the Abuja Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks are the only framework for reaching a negotiated solution to the conflict in Darfur. Consequently, Council urges that all efforts in this respect be coordinated with the AU to avoid duplication and overlaps that may further complicate the negotiation process;

13. Urges the Parties to attend the next Round of the Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks at the highest level and to negotiate in good faith and on the basis of the Draft Framework Protocol for the Resolution of the Conflict in Darfur, already submitted to them, in order to reach early agreement;

14. Decides to remain actively seized with the situation in Darfur.