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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| UN forces 'stretched to limits' | UN forces 'stretched to limits' |
| (about 22 hours later) | |
| United Nations peacekeepers are stretched to their limit, the outgoing head of UN peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guehenno, has warned. | United Nations peacekeepers are stretched to their limit, the outgoing head of UN peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guehenno, has warned. |
| Mr Guehenno, who held the post for eight years, told the BBC there was a danger UN troops could be misused. | Mr Guehenno, who held the post for eight years, told the BBC there was a danger UN troops could be misused. |
| "The international community... faced with a tragedy, wants to do something," says Mr Guehenno. "To deploy blue helmets can look like the easy answer." | "The international community... faced with a tragedy, wants to do something," says Mr Guehenno. "To deploy blue helmets can look like the easy answer." |
| Mr Guehenno also said that peacekeepers now in Darfur were under-resourced. | Mr Guehenno also said that peacekeepers now in Darfur were under-resourced. |
| Mr Guehenno said that using UN peacekeepers in the wrong circumstances risked failure. | Mr Guehenno said that using UN peacekeepers in the wrong circumstances risked failure. |
| "The blue helmets, they are there to support the process, the supposed political agreement," he told the BBC. "If there is no political agreement there is a real risk that the force will not make a difference." | "The blue helmets, they are there to support the process, the supposed political agreement," he told the BBC. "If there is no political agreement there is a real risk that the force will not make a difference." |
| 'Very strong force' | 'Very strong force' |
| The United Nations currently has more than 9,000 troops and police in the Darfur region of Sudan, in a joint UN-African Union force - with a total of 26,000 authorised to be deployed. | The United Nations currently has more than 9,000 troops and police in the Darfur region of Sudan, in a joint UN-African Union force - with a total of 26,000 authorised to be deployed. |
| African aid agencies say the force is failing civilians in the region, and Mr Guehenno believes the force deployed there does not have the resources to do its job. UN PEACEKEEPERS Total UN personnel deployed worldwide: 109,662, including:DRC: 22,067 personnelLiberia: 14,618South Sudan: 13,316Lebanon: 13,309Haiti: 10,927Darfur: 10,898Ivory Coast: 10,452 Source: UN UN ends African Horn peace forceSend us your comments | African aid agencies say the force is failing civilians in the region, and Mr Guehenno believes the force deployed there does not have the resources to do its job. UN PEACEKEEPERS Total UN personnel deployed worldwide: 109,662, including:DRC: 22,067 personnelLiberia: 14,618South Sudan: 13,316Lebanon: 13,309Haiti: 10,927Darfur: 10,898Ivory Coast: 10,452 Source: UN UN ends African Horn peace forceSend us your comments |
| "Even if it had all the resources planned, in the absence of a solid political process, it would not be in a position to do the job," he said. | "Even if it had all the resources planned, in the absence of a solid political process, it would not be in a position to do the job," he said. |
| "I am enormously worried because I think that the risk there is that if we do not succeed in Darfur, that will reverberate throughout peacekeeping." | "I am enormously worried because I think that the risk there is that if we do not succeed in Darfur, that will reverberate throughout peacekeeping." |
| As well as its commitments in Darfur and elsewhere, the UN is under pressure to send peacekeepers to Somalia, where Islamist fighters are battling with Ethiopian forces. | As well as its commitments in Darfur and elsewhere, the UN is under pressure to send peacekeepers to Somalia, where Islamist fighters are battling with Ethiopian forces. |
| The BBC's UN correspondent, Laura Trevelyan, says if peacekeepers were to be deployed, they would be going into a situation where there is no peace to keep. | The BBC's UN correspondent, Laura Trevelyan, says if peacekeepers were to be deployed, they would be going into a situation where there is no peace to keep. |
| Mr Guehenno is clear about the risks of sending peacekeepers to Somalia. | Mr Guehenno is clear about the risks of sending peacekeepers to Somalia. |
| "If you want to deploy a force in an environment like that - unless you are prepared to suffer a lot of casualties - you need a very well-equipped force, a very strong force," he says. | "If you want to deploy a force in an environment like that - unless you are prepared to suffer a lot of casualties - you need a very well-equipped force, a very strong force," he says. |
| "The danger is humiliation, is casualties, is that if you send a force and you don't make a real difference, then people will really turn away from Somalia, and that would be a real tragedy," he adds. | "The danger is humiliation, is casualties, is that if you send a force and you don't make a real difference, then people will really turn away from Somalia, and that would be a real tragedy," he adds. |