[wvns] Meet the General of Darfur
Commander of the new combined United Nations-African
Union peacekeeping force for Darfur.
"General Agwai will lead the biggest peacekeeping
operation in the world with 20,000 troops and 6,000
police under his command.
The general told BBC News that building a peacekeeping
force of that size from scratch would take time, and
he warned against high expectations, saying without
peace his troops would be in a "in a very
uncomfortable position".
The former head of Nigeria's armed forces is courteous
and softly-spoken.
He told me his military heroes are General George
Patton and General Ariel Sharon."
===
Darfur's peacekeeper: Africa's toughest job?
By Orla Guerin
BBC News, Darfur
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6998279.stm
General Agwai
The general will command 26,000 soldiers and police
General Agwai
If General Martin Luther Agwai's name is not yet
familiar, it will be soon.
He has been given one of the toughest jobs in Africa,
and perhaps the most thankless: Commander of the new
combined United Nations-African Union peacekeeping
force for Darfur.
General Agwai will lead the biggest peacekeeping
operation in the world with 20,000 troops and 6,000
police under his command.
The general told BBC News that building a peacekeeping
force of that size from scratch would take time, and
he warned against high expectations, saying without
peace his troops would be in a "in a very
uncomfortable position".
The former head of Nigeria's armed forces is courteous
and softly-spoken.
He told me his military heroes are General George
Patton and General Ariel Sharon.
Asked if his new job is a poisoned chalice, his
response is characteristically low-key.
"When I was accepting this job I did it with all
sincerity," he said, "believing that somebody has to
do the job and if somebody has to do it, why not me."
Scorched earth
The general is spending a lot of time in the air - it
is the only way to get around his new territory.
We joined him on board a small UN helicopter for a
tour of AU bases in south Darfur.
HAVE YOUR SAY
There is often a tendency in the international
community to forget working for the core mission
TT, Araia, Pretoria
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The general kept a watch on the terrain below - an
endless stretch of parched earth, the size of France.
Next month, the first of the peacekeepers are due to
arrive in this harsh environment.
Gen Agwai is well aware of the high expectations, in
the international community, and in the camps - where
some of the dispossessed are counting down the days to
the arrival of the blue helmets.
But he has a message for all those who wait - do not
expect too much too soon.
"I'm worried because of high expectation," he told me.
"People will expect us by tomorrow to do something,
without knowing that on the ground not much has
changed. And I can't see anything changing much even
up to the end of this year."
African Union soldiers in Darfur (file pic)
African Union troops in Darfur have a limited mandate
"Many people are basing their judgement on the
resolution which has given us 20,000 men. But you
don't have anything on the ground."
General Agwai is concerned about managing the
expectations of people who do not know the landscape
of Darfur.
He refers, diplomatically, to "those who haven't had
the opportunity of visiting here."
We land at a remote base, hemmed in by desert.
The general's first problem is how to get the troops
into places like this - with no roads, no airport and
no water supplies.
"We may be forced to deploy where we don't want to,
because of the issue of water," he says.
Peacekeepers, not peace-makers
At the base there's a reception committee of tribal
elders in flowing white robes, and rebel fighters in
camouflage.
When they meet the general, one demand keeps coming up
- security. But in the absence of a peace deal, that
won't be in the general's gift.
We are not here to conquer anybody... we are not here
to impose peace
General Martin Luther Agwai
His soldiers will be able to use force to save lives -
unlike the current African Union observers - but
according to the general, they are not coming to
Darfur to fight for peace.
"We are not here to conquer anybody," he says.
"We are not here to compel any peace. We are here to
work with the Sudanese people - both the government
and the parties to assist them to find peace. We are
not here to impose peace. We are not here to fight
anybody."
In the forthcoming months, General Agwai may need to
juggle the roles of mediator, diplomat and military
commander.
He will be walking an unknown path - leading a
'hybrid' force, though no one seems quite sure just
how hybrid it will be.
It will take a year or more before the peacekeeping
mission reaches full strength.
And the Sudanese government could create obstacles, as
it has done in the past.
In the words of a senior diplomat in the region: "the
Sudanese have a way of getting around things".
Taming the rebels
But some in the AU mission here believe the biggest
problem will be the rebels, not the government in
Khartoum.
KEY REBEL PLAYERS
Map
SLM: Minni Minnawi's faction signed 2006 peace deal
SLM: Abdul Wahid Mohammad Ahmed al-Nur's faction
rejected peace deal
Jem: Khalil Ibrahim, one of the first rebel groups,
rejected deal
Rebel negotiator: Suleiman Jamous
SLM Unity: Abdallah Yehia
UFLD: recently formed umbrella group including SLM
commanders
Other breakaway SLM commanders: Mahjoub Hussein, Jar
el-Neby and Suleiman Marajan
There are estimated to be more than 13 rebel factions
in Darfur
At last count there were about a dozen rebel groups in
Darfur, all trying to call the shots.
Before leaving the base, General Agwai met some of the
weary AU observers, whose operation has all but ground
to a standstill.
Many feel they have been made scapegoats - left
waiting for equipment and support, and sometimes even
for their salaries.
The new peacekeeping force could also be handicapped -
if the international community does not keep its word.
Enough troops have been promised - from Africa and
elsewhere. But Western nations are not rushing in with
military hardware.
So far not a single attack helicopter has been
offered.
The general says he is an optimist and believes a
workable peace agreement can be reached, but he admits
to a few sleepless nights already.
Rightly or wrongly, if there are no improvement in
Darfur, he'll be someone to blame.
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