...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
peacekeeping mission in Darfur which has faced mounting deadly attacks.
Seven Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed this month in the latest ambush on the force. But the Security Council is also concerned at the failure of attempts to negotiate an end to the decade old conflict in the western Sudanese region.
Hundreds of fighters have been killed in a surge of battles between rival tribes -- including about 130 in one clash in west Darfur Monday -- and the U.N. estimates that 300,000 people have fled their homes this year.
The 15-member council unanimously approved a resolution which extended the mandate of the African Union-U.N. Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) until August 2014.
It also ordered U.N. leader
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
to review the operation of the force, which has 19,000 troops and police, and recommend changes by February.
While UNAMID has been hit by tragedies such as the death of the Tanzanian peacekeepers on July 13, it has also faced criticism that it has not used its full powers to counter an upsurge in violence over the past two years.
The Security Council resolution said that Ban should carry out "a detailed and forward-looking review of UNAMID's progress" in meeting its goals.
The council also said the U.N. force should "make full use of its mandate and capabilities" to protect civilians and called for a "proactive military deployment and increased patrols in areas at high risk of conflict."
The resolution was drawn up by Britannia, whose U.N. ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said: "It's got stronger language on the need for the troop contributing countries to be robust and it opens up the possibility for those who attack UNAMID convoys to be sanctioned."