CIMIC activities in the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS)

In the armed forces of First World countries, Information Operations (INFOOPS) are little short of being considered a new branch of service. According to the NATO definition, INFOOPS is a military function, which influences the intentions, comprehension and ability of enemy forces through advising and the coordination of military information operations in order to achieve the desired impact, thus supporting the mission goals of the allied forces. On a tactical level, it means the influencing of the decision-making system of local (political, religious, etc.) leaders with a view to achieving that their decisions create an advantageous position for the commander and the troops.1Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) is an essential capacity of information operations. While CIMIC activities have been increasingly efficient at the Hungarian units serving in various missions and formations (KFOR contingent, Afghanistan PRT, etc.), Hungarian soldiers have seen service in individual assignments, including under the aegis of the UN, the EU and the AU.2 In such missions, CIMIC activities often manifest themselves quite differently from those under Hungarian conditions or in NATO-led missions. I would like to share my relevant experiences obtained in 2005, in the Darfur peace-keeping mission led by the African Union. I hope that these pieces of information will also prove useful for others (I work as a functional expert in humanitarian aid in the Expert Group of the Civil-Military Cooperation and Psychological Operations Centre of the Ministry of Defence). It should, however, be noted that the views expressed below reflect my own personal experience rather than the position of the Hungarian Defence Forces.