The Brookings Institution—University of Bern Project on Internal Displacement Protecting Two Million Internally Displaced: The Successes and Shortcomings of the African Union in Darfur by William G. O’Neill and Violette Cassis An Occasional Paper November 2005 Protecting Two Million Internally Displaced: The Successes and Shortcomings of the African Union in Darfur by William G. O’Neill and Violette Cassis THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION – UNIVERSITY OF BERN PROJECT ON INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20036-2188 TELEPHONE: 202/797-6168 FAX: 202/797-6003 EMAIL:
[email protected] www.brookings.edu/idp FOREWORD The two million men, women and children crammed into displaced persons’ camps in Darfur, Sudan often look to the forces of the African Union (AU) for protection against the attacks and violence to which they are so regularly subjected To assess how effectively the AU is providing protection, our Project contracted with William G. O’Neill and Violette Cassis, who offer in their report a first hand account of the successes and shortcomings of the AU’s intervention in Darfur. Based on interviews with AU troops, internally displaced persons and human rights and humanitarian personnel over a 7-month period, their report analyzes best practices as well as the limitations of the AU performance and comes up with a series of recommendations to reinforce the AU’s capacity. We consider the recommendations important not only for Darfur but for the AU’s potential role in other conflicts in Africa where international reinforcements may not be available and where the number, quality and mandate of AU troops may be limited.