(Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon proposed on Friday to send an 11,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission to Chad. "Eastern Chad is facing a multifaceted security and humanitarian crisis, which includes ongoing clashes between government forces and Sudan-based Chadian rebels, cross-border attacks on civilians by Sudan-based militia, the presence of Sudanese rebels on Chadian territory, ethnic violence, internal displacement, inter-communal tensions and banditry," Ban said in his latest report to the Security Council.
He mentioned two options, preferring the second, to tackle with the situation there. The first with a total force of some 6,000 would depend more heavily on aviation for flexibility. The second would comprise a military force of some 10,900, relying more on infantry troops being in place to meet operational requirements.
Ban didn't underestimate "the distinct and serious risks" entailed by an open-ended UN deployment in the challenging environment, chiefly the possibility that armed groups may view a UN force as interfering with their military agenda and decide to attack. "It would be imperative therefore to obtain assurances from Chadian rebel groups that they would recognize the impartial character of a UN presence," he said, adding that there is also the possibility that a UN force, while carrying out its protection functions in such a fluid environment, could find itself caught in the cross-fire between belligerents.
Ban's report stems from a technical assessment mission which visited both Chad and Sudan at the Council's request and found that armed rebel movements seeking to overthrow the government continue to destabilize eastern Chad. |
