PSC/PR/Comm.(XVII)
Page 1
COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE SEVENTEENTH MEETING
OF THE PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL
The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its seventeenth
meeting held on 20 October 2004, adopted the following Communiqué on the
situation in the Darfur Region of the Sudan.
Council,
1.
Recalls the decision adopted at its 13th meeting held on 27 July 2004
[PSC/PR/Comm.(XIII)], requesting the Commission to prepare and submit to it, for
consideration, a comprehensive plan on how best to enhance the African Mission in
the Sudan (AMIS), including the possibility of transforming the said Mission into a
full-fledged peacekeeping mission, with the requisite mandate and size, to ensure the
effective implementation of the Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement of 8 April 2004.
Council further recalls all other relevant AU decisions on the situation in Darfur,
including decision Assembly/AU/Dec.54(III) adopted by the 3rd Ordinary Session of
the Assembly of the Union, held in Addis Ababa, from 6 to 8 July 2004;
2.
Notes that the Sudanese Parties, namely the Government of the Sudan
(GoS), the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation
Movement/Army (SLM/A), have accepted the need to strengthen AMIS, for it to
assist more effectively in the restoration of peace and security in Darfur. In this
respect, Council notes that the GoS has formally expressed its support for the
enhancement of AMIS and pledged full cooperation in that regard;
3.
Takes note of the report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the
situation in Darfur [PSC/PR/2(XVII)], particularly with regard to the enhancement of
AMIS, including its size and mandate;
4.
Decides that the enhanced AMIS shall be deployed for a period of one year
renewable if need be, to perform the following mandate:
•
to monitor and observe compliance with the Humanitarian Ceasefire
Agreement of 8 April 2004 and all such agreements in the future,
•
to assist in the process of confidence building,
•
contribute to a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian
relief and, beyond that, the return of IDPs and refugees to their homes,
in order to assist in increasing the level of compliance of all Parties with
the Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement of 8 Apr 2004umanitarian
Ceasefire Agreement and to contribute to the improvement of the
security situation throughout Darfur;
5.
Endorses the proposals contained in the Working Document [PSC/MSC/2(I)]
on the Enhancement of the African Mission in the Sudan, as reviewed by the 1st
Meeting of the Military Staff Committee (MSC) at the level of the Chiefs of Defense
Staff, held in Addis Ababa on 18 – 19 October 2004;