By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 27 -- As the UN Security Council met Wednesday about the Ethiopian peacekeepers slated for Abyei, it emerged that there is not yet any Status of Forces Agreement or SOFA signed by the government of Sudan.
Khartoum has informed the UN it does not want anything left of the UN Mission in Sudan, which expired on July 9, to be used for UNMISS in South Sudan or UNAMID in Darfur. This includes the logistics base as El Obeid. Sudan apparently wants to keep it, as Eritrea kept materiel after the UNMEE mission between it and Ethiopia left.
Still some Ambassadors put on a positive gloss, saying that despite the rainy season 521 Ethiopian soldiers are already in Abyei, with 1200 due by the end of the month -- the end of the week, that is. Then, one Permanent Representative told Inner City Press, the withdrawal of forces will begin, or be discussed.
Inner City Press asked outgoing top UN Peacekeeper Alain Le Roy about the lack of the SOFA -- “no SOFA, no rest” was the joke, playing off the piece of furniture -- and the fate of peacekeeping in Southern Kordofan.
“Mister Karti has now said he does not want international forces in Southern Kordofan,” Le Roy said. On July 28 there will be a briefing about Southern Kordofan, on the human rights situations. Watch this site.
