During a recent visit to Sudan, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Sudan Sima Samar toured Darfur, where she spoke with internally displaced persons (IDPs) as well as government, UNAMID (UN-African Union Mission in Darfur) and UN agency officials. In an interview with In Sudan, Ms. Samar shared some of her impressions from the field.

IN SUDAN: How do the people in Darfur feel about what the UN is doing there?
SIMA SAMAR: I think the people are a bit frustrated at the delay in deployment of UNAMID troops on the ground. Because what they really need is protection and security, which the mission has not yet been able to achieve throughout Darfur. The international community should really push for faster deployment of troops and set up a definite mechanism to protect civilians, especially women and girls.

IN SUDAN: What mechanism should be put in place to protect civilians?
Well, I think the number of troops should be increased. There are only about 8,000, including police. There is also a need to build up the capacity of law enforcement officials as well as civil society. The police, especially, need to be trained.

We met with the person responsible for training the police in UNAMID. We discussed the issues and the training mechanism he is planning to use, which is quite good. But it is still in its initial stages, as he is waiting for more people to arrive in the mission.

IN SUDAN: How do UN officials feel about the slow deployment of troops?
I spoke with the SRSG (Special Representative of the Secretary-General) and the Deputy SRSG. I also met with Sector Commanders in different parts of Darfur. They are all asking for a quicker response, not only in terms of troops but technical support -- helicopters, trucks and armoured personnel carriers.

It was also felt that UNAMID should try to take some preventive measures to protect people when they see that there might be an outbreak of hostilities. It's not doing that yet.

IN SUDAN: What preventive measures do you think UNAMID should take?
Well, at least it should be there to stop any attacks by rebel groups or the government to protect civilians. It should also protect women, especially when they go out to collect firewood and grass.

UNAMID has started patrols to protect women in some camps, but not all. It needs to do much more because the camps are quite large. For example, there are about 48,000 people living in Gereida's local community, while there are 136,000 IDPs. A lot of patrols are needed for that many people.

IN SUDAN: What would you suggest as a first step in achieving accountability and justice in Darfur?
I think the first step would be to establish a judiciary system that is accessible to all. In some remote areas, there is no judiciary. In order to have justice, there must be an institution in place.

Of course, if there is no alternative, people use traditional justice mechanisms they have used for years. But some aspects of traditional justice are not friendly to women's rights. And many crimes are directed against women.

IN SUDAN: You also spoke with officials in Khartoum. Was there a positive result to those talks?
Well, one positive thing was their increased openness and accessibility to me and human rights officers at UNMIS. Another was the recent establishment of units in Khartoum police stations run by female officers to protect women and children, which I hope can be technically supported by the UN. They have also sent female officers to deal with women's cases in Darfur.

I am also pleased that UNAMID and the government have signed the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement), as it gives UN staff accessibility to different areas of Darfur.

IN SUDAN:You have said that the international community and NGOs should take more practical action in Darfur. Can you be more specific about what they should do?
Well, if you remember, the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue was part of the DPA, but it is now almost two years old and has not really gone anywhere. There should be a more political, practical solution to resolve the Darfur problem. The government, political parties and rebel groups must become engaged and encouraged to talk rather than fight.