Rebadged CF mission for Darfur/Problems for hybrid UN/AU force

Just noticed this official news release:

Canadian Forces launches contribution to U.N.–African Union mission in Darfur

CEFCOM/COMFEC NR 08.008 - February 4, 2008

OTTAWA — A new Canadian Forces operation in Sudan began on January 28, 2008. Operation SATURN will support the new hybrid United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), which took over from the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) on January 1, 2008. With the stand-up of Operation SATURN, the CF is phasing out its participation in AMIS, conducted under Operation AUGURAL.

“The significant and tangible contributions Canadian Forces personnel have already made in Darfur will continue in the new mission,” said Lieutenant-General Michel Gauthier, commander of Canadian Expeditionary Force Command. “The co-operative approach taken to mount the new hybrid U.N.–African Union mission in Darfur is an important development in efforts to bring peace to Sudan, and we are proud to be part of it.”

Authorized by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1769 of July 31, 2007, under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, UNAMID was created to support the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement. Comprising a large military force with formed police units and civilian support staff, once at full strength UNAMID will total about 26,000 personnel.

The Canadian contingent in UNAMID, called Task Force Darfur, is based in El Fasher and commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Ken Moore. Its members include three staff officers who work at UNAMID’s Joint Logistics Operations Centre and Combined Integrated Support Services. Additionally, four non-commissioned soldiers will teach soldiers from Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal to operate a fleet of Canadian armoured fighting vehicles that have been on loan since 2005 to three troop-contributing nations: Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal. Canadian support to this loan, which began with AMIS under Operation AUGURAL, will continue with UNAMID under Operation SATURN.

But UNAMID is having a hard time deploying--the Sudanese government is doing its best to hinder things. Certainly no significant Canadian units would be agreed to by Khartoum:

...
UNAMID, which will be the world's largest U.N.-funded peacekeeping operation, received Khartoum's blessing after months of talks, threats and negotiations.

It was delayed by impossible deployment conditions initially set by Sudan and a lack of air support from donor nations.

At full strength, the mission should consist of 26,000 troops and police.

But two months since it took over, it has only 9,000 personnel -- just 2,000 more than the previous African Union force which it absorbed -- and is struggling to live up to Darfuris' high expectations that it will protect them better than its AU predecessor.

Scandinavian units were refused entry by Khartoum and a Thai battalion is ready but still waiting for permission to deploy.

"What we ask now is that any talk of non-African troops stops until after the African troops have all been deployed on the ground," Nafie told reporters in Khartoum.

"Any attempt to talk about Khartoum's obstruction to the hybrid force or any talk about a lack of ability of African troops to accomplish the task of UNAMID is an attempt to create another crisis between Sudan and the international community," he added.

He declined to say why Khartoum did not want non-African troops, but Sudanese officials have said Africa should be able to resolve its own problems and expressed suspicions about the intentions of former African colonialists sending troops into Darfur.