MOFA OFFICIAL ON SUDAN MISSION

Shingetsu Newsletter Nos. 14 and 48 have reported about Japan-Sudan political relations. Shingetsu Newsletter No. 14, in mid-June, mentioned that a single MOFA bureaucrat would be sent to southern Sudan to assist UN peacekeepers. Some details have now been announced.

The MOFA official to be sent to Sudan is Yusuke Kudo (32), who is an Arabic-language specialist from the Second Middle East Division. Apparently, Mr. Kudo already has some experience in Sudan, and it appears that MOFA has sent a young man who actually knows something about the region. His duties seem to revolve around political analysis work, as he will be posted in the Unified Mission Analysis Center (UMAC) within the overall UNMIS operation. Kudo is expected to remain in Sudan for about six months.

Shingetsu Newsletter No. 48 spoke about Yasushi Akashi, and this stimulated a discussion of this particular Japanese official, as well as Japan’s policies toward Africa. Coincidentally, Akashi has recently contributed an opinion piece on Japan’s Africa policy to the Asahi Shinbun. Since many of us are critical of Akashi in some respects, I suppose that it is only fair to let him have his say here as well:

AFRICA AND JAPAN: GIVE A HAND FOR THE BIRTH OF PEACE IN AFRICA
By Yasushi Akashi
Former Administrative Vice-Minister of the UN

While Africa seems to be a far-distant region for Japan, Africa feels Japan rather close to them. Though we need to keep paying attention to disputes in Africa, there are also suggestions of peace. Not only European countries, but also Asian nations like China and India, contribute to peace and security in the region. However, Japan doesn’t play a major role in this issue.

Most of the disputes that the UN is now facing are happing in Africa, and every large PKO is being run there. The growth of the AU, which is aimed at coping with humanitarian dangers without being bothered by national borders like EU, is notable. Their PKO is run in Darfur, western Sudan, and is supported by the UN, European countries, and the US. A Nigerian commander in chief, who had a lot experience at the UN, is making efforts to protect about two million internal refugees.

In Sudan, the number of victims who died in disputes between the north and the south regions has amounted to about three million. However, a peace agreement was reached early this year, and a provisional government was set up in July, where both the north and the south share power. A week later, Vice President Garang, who was a leader of the south, died in a helicopter crash, and the future became unclear. Yet, if things proceed as they are scheduled, a democratic election will take place in five years time.

A UN PKO is also in progress in Congo (former Zaire), central Africa. A kindred tribe lives in the area that is separated by the eastern border of Congo. Disputes won’t cease with the inflow of troops, militias, and armed groups of neighbor counties into Congo, however, and there will be an election by next spring with the support of 15,000 UN officials. The UN’s PKOs in Sudan and in the Congo is being done under the Seventh Clause of the Charter, and is interpreted to mean that armed force may be used. In Congo, there was a fight against militia forces, as well as sexual abuse by UN soldiers.

On the other hand, we met a UN local supervisor who had carefully thought about the use of force, and he said, “We carry out tasks which are discussed and favored by citizens as much as possible.” There are many excellent people among the local UN representatives. I was impressed that they were paving the way for peace little by little, while struggling with the different opinions between the locals and the UN head office, the lack of budget, complex tasks, etc.

The UN’s PKOs have changed and enlarged their scale ever since the Cambodian PKO (1992-1993), which I commanded as a UN representative of the Cambodian provisional administrative organization. However, the basic principle has never changed. Equipment and training is improving. The duties that are left to non-military civilians and civil police are becoming more important.

In addition to the AU’s efforts and support from European countries, the cooperation of Asian nations like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh stands out. Especially, China’s cooperation is remarkable.

On the other hand, Japan isn’t sending PKO staff to Africa now. The number of SDF members who work in PKO is ranked as 63rd among UN member states. This is not proper for a country that wants to be a permanent member of the Security Council. Japan doesn’t have any civil policemen working for the UN.

I feel proud that skilled Japanese work as UN staff all over the world, but the number is still not enough. I wish there were more Japanese in the civilian sectors, like civil policemen, administrators, and human rights directors.