UN renews Darfur peacekeeping mission

August 3, 2008 The United Nations Security Council has extended its mandate for the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force in the Darfur area of Sudan. The resolution, adopted to extend the United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) mission, was approved by 14 of the 15 Security Council members. The United States abstained from the vote, saying that the language used in the mandate undermined efforts to bring Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to justice for war crimes.

The vote comes a day after the UN responded to a report by the Save Darfur Coalition that said the Darfur peacekeeping force lacks enough personnel and essential equipment. The UNAMID force currently has only 9,500 troops deployed out of an assigned 26,000, which it blames on Security Council bickering and the demands of Sudan's government.