United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See also: New proposed UN peacekeeping force

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706 was a United Nations Security Council resolution intended to resolve the Darfur conflict. It was passed on 31 August 2006, with twelve in favor, and three abstentions: the People's Republic of China, Qatar, and Russia. It calls for 22,500 UN troops and police officers to support the 7,000-member AU force in Sudan. Sudan has refused to participate in the UNSC session and has strongly rejected the resolution. On September 5, the AU announced it will be withdrawing its forces when its peacekeeping mandate expires on September 30. The next day, however, the US hinted that the AU force might, in fact, remain in the region past the deadline.

On October 2, the AU chair announced that it will extend its mandate to December 31, 2006, in light of the failure to implement the UN peacekeeping force outlined in Resolution 1706. About 200 UN military support personnel are to be attached to the AU force. On October 9, the Arab League reported that Sudan's president has rejected an initial proposal to send peacekeeping soliders to the region, but promised alternatives in the near future.