that African Union forces in the country could do their job properly.
Mr Howard listed three points raised by military commanders in Darfur during his recent visit: lifting the ban on night-time helicopter flights, the availability of logistical resources like trucks, and the obstructive conduct of the Sudanese Government.
The Minister responsible, Meg Munn MP, admitted that "none of those matters is moving forward," and appeared to reject the assessment of soldiers on the ground.
Mr Howard asked:
Mr. Michael Howard (Folkestone and Hythe) (Con):
When I was in Darfur in December, we were told by one of the commanders of the African Union force that three things were needed to enable that force to do its job properly: first, the lifting of the night-time ban on helicopter flying; secondly, the availability of logistical resources; and thirdly, the removal of the obstacles placed by the Sudanese Government in the way of entry into the country for personnel and equipment that the force needs to do its job. Can the Minister tell us what progress has been made on each of those three specific measures?
Meg Munn:
As I said in my earlier answer, the real problem is the fighting taking place on the ground, which means that none of those matters is moving forward. There has been progress on the provision of helicopters, which we discussed during the last Foreign Office questions, in that Ethiopia has offered four more. In reality, however, until the fighting stops on the ground, further deployments cannot take place and the humanitarian situation will continue, causing us all a great deal of concern. |
