United Nations – The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize a force of about 26,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help end more than four years of violence in the Darfur region of Sudan, which has left hundreds of thousands dead and forced millions from their homes.
The U.N. mission, one of the largest in the organization’s history, would assume authority by Dec. 31 over a force of some 7,000 African Union peacekeepers who have struggled to protect civilians in the Darfur region. But U.N. officials said it could be several more months beyond the deadline before the full force would be deployed and that stemming the violence will be impossible without a political settlement between Khartoum and numerous rebel factions.
The Security Council resolution grants the peacekeeping mission authority to use military force to protect its personnel, guarantee the safe travel of humanitarian aid workers and provide protection for civilians.
In an effort to secure the endorsement of Sudan and its closest ally, China, British and French negotiators dropped a provision from an earlier draft that threatened unspecified sanctions against Khartoum if it impeded the U.N. mission.
