In an interview with Voices of Darfur, UNAMID Force Commander, Lieutenant General Patrick Nyamvumba, talked about the challenges and the determination of UNAMID’s peacekeepers as they work for peace in Darfur.

By Rania Abdulrahman

Since the creation of the first United Nations peacekeeping mission in 1948, the “blue helmet” has been emblematic of operations that work to create the right environment for lasting peace in countries torn by conflict. The peacekeepers who wear the blue helmets work in hazardous conditions around the world, and put their lives at risk for the greater good of humanity.

In July 2007, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1769, establishing the African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), the largest, most expensive and the first joint peacekeeping operation. Since the first blue-helmeted troops set foot in Sudan’s western region, UNAMID has been carrying out a difficult task in a large territory nearly the size of France. The political situation is fragile, there is no comprehensive peace agreement, and the environment lacks a fully developed infrastructure.

In September 2009, Lt. Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba of Rwanda was appointed as UNAMID Force Commander. More than 16,000 military personnel work under his leadership in 35 locations across Darfur. To understand the complexity and the challenging work of these peacekeepers in carrying out their duties, especially as they relate to the protection of civilians, Voices of Darfur interviewed the Force Commander at UNAMID’s Headquarters in El Fasher, North Darfur.

Voices of Darfur: How would you assess UNAMID’s military performance and its contribution to the peace efforts in Darfur?

Nyamvumba: First of all, the military, as part of the Mission, draws its tasks from the mandate as prescribed by the UN Security Council. The core of the Mission’s mandate is protection of civilians. The military takes lead on physical protection. UNAMID’s troops are providing 24/7 protection operations throughout Darfur. Every day we have more than 150 patrols conducted by brave men and women who are out there to provide security in areas specified as hotspots.

Also, UNAMID’s troops are supporting the efforts of UN agencies and other aid actors by providing escorts to facilitate humanitarian assistance. In addition, the military component is involved in community support activities, including serving in hospitals that are open to the public, digging water boreholes to address some of the root causes of the conflict, providing capacity-building training in different skills and building schools and other livelihood facilities. In fact, recently, a women’s market was built by one of UNAMID’s contingents in Nertiti, Central Darfur.

Regarding the security environment in Darfur and to what extent UNAMID has contributed to stabilising the situation, I think when we pick isolated incidents in the general context, we miss the point. My understanding is that if it wasn’t for UNAMID’s presence, the situation could be much different than it is today. Having said that, there is room for improvement in terms of how we implement the mandate, and how we do our operations on a daily basis. We can’t deny the sacrifices that have been made on the part of the peacekeepers, all of whom have come here with the aim of helping the people of Darfur realize peace.

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Read the full interview in the January issue of Voices of Darfur. Download the magazine (PDF) here.

On 3 October 2012, UNAMID Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba, addresses the Nigerian peacekeepers who are posted in El Geneina, West Darfur, after a convoy suffered an ambush the previous night. Four peacekeepers were killed and eight injured in the assault. The incident, which involved a Nigerian military patrol, occurred approximately two kilometres from the Mission’s regional headquarters. UNAMID personnel were heavily fired upon from several directions, and returned fire. Photo by Albert González Farran.