Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Triesman (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 May 2007.

Sudan: Darfur

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:What timetable has been established for the recruitment of the 3,000 soldiers to be deployed as part of the heavy support package of the United Nations soldiers to be deployed in Darfur as part of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS); and whether this deployment is conditional on the call made by UNMIS of 25 April for a cessation of hostilities before the heavy support package is implemented.

Answer: We would like the heavy support package (HSP) to be deployed as soon as possible, and are pressing the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations, which is responsible for setting the timetable, to ensure that this happens. The military element of the HSP of 3,000 personnel will provide engineering, medical, logistics and aviation capacity to pave the way for the African Union (AU)-UN hybrid force. We understand that, once pre-deployment preparations are complete, deployment should take three to four months. The timing will depend on how rapidly the UN can generate forces from contributing nations for the HSP and build the infrastructure for the deploying force. Deployment will not be easy given Darfur's environment and the oncoming rainy season. The UN and AU expect all parties to the conflict in Darfur to stand by the commitments made in Ndjamena and Abuja, which include abiding by a ceasefire. A fully functioning ceasefire is not, however, a precondition of the deployment of UN support for the AU in Darfur.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 3494; 691 c252-3WA
Session: 2006-07
Subjects: Armed forces Deployment Peacekeeping operations United Nations Sudan Peace negotiations Darfur
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk