Last week we talked the growing humanitarian crisis that is occurring in the Ivory Coast. Over the weekend it has gotten worse to the point where the UN has had to relocate 200 civilian staff members. The UN peacekeeping mission in the Ivory Coast known as UNOCI, is 9,000 strong, but is increasingly unable to quell violence. Violence erupted after the November 2010 elections when incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down after losing the election to Alassane Outtara. The UN increased its forces in January to 9,000, but this has not been enough.

On Thursday the Sudanese army threatened U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur after a tense couple months in the region. Sudanese soldiers threatened to “burn to the ground” camps for internally displaced person (IDPs). This comes as the United States has called for the United Nations-African Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to better protect civilians. U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice stated that, “we expect UNAMID, as one of the UN's largest and most costly operations, with one of the most robust mandates passed by the Security Council, to be very active and, when necessary, aggressive... to protect civilians.” Fighting between the Sudanese army and Darfur rebels has caused 43,000 people to flee since December.

I want to congratulate the governments that worked through the UN Security Council to pass Resolution 1769 on Tuesday. It officially creates a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping mission to Darfur, with authority under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to "support early and effective implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement, prevent the disruption of its implementation and armed attacks, and protect civilians..."

For the past four weeks or so I've been meeting extensively with Congressional staff about a proposed UN Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS).