Peacekeepers should do more to protect themselves

The announcement by the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) force commander, Lt. Gen Patrick Nyamvumba, that the UN peacekeepers will open fire to defend themselves - if provoked - is extremely welcome.Just this week, a UNAMID patrol of 55 personnel, mainly Senegalese troops, was blocked by Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels.Reinforcements had to be called in to surround the 100 JEM forces who continued to hold two UNAMID civilian staff and one police advisor; thankfully the rebels released all the UNAMID staff.This outrage wasn’t the first time UNAMID troops found themselves in potentially fatal situations. In fact, after taking over from theAfrican Union in January 2008, the UNAMID has lost 33 personnel in ambushes or attacks. And members of the mission have been abducted or briefly detained.This is tragic, putting in mind that the UNAMID troops are in Sudan to protect vulnerable people. It is high time that UNAMID utilized its UN Chapter 7 mandate, which authorizes it to use force not only to protect civilians, but to also protect its forces and to ensure the movement of its personal and aid workers.

National

Peacekeepers should do more to protect themselves