Egyptian parliament approves sending troops to Sudan’s Darfur

CAIRO, May 23, 2005 (MENA) — The Egyptian People’s Assembly on Monday approved a decision by President Husni Mubarak on sending peacekeeping forces to the western Sudanese region of Darfur for a period of six years at the request of United Nations.

Sudan’s security is very much linked to Egypt’s, said the MPs, noting that sending troops to Sudan for a peacekeeping mission is a must especially that the international organization will shoulder all financial costs.

In late April, the African Union decided to increase the number of peace-keeping forces from the current 2,200 to 7,700 within five months.