Sudanese forces attack AU peacekeepers’ base

ABUJA, June 10 (AFP) — Sudanese forces attacked a garrison of African Union (AU) observers in Sudan’s western Darfur province and arrested members of one of the two rebel forces in the region, AU and Sudanese rebel sources said Friday.

African Union Force Commander, Major General Felix Okonkwo attend a summit on the Darfur crisis. (AP)

Ibrahim Khalil, president of the Movement for Justice and Equality (JEM), the rebel force concerned, said the government troops entered the garrison at Al-Fasher and took away some of the rebels. “The AU couldn’t do anything,” he said.

Khalil was in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, for the resumption of talks to resolve the civil war in Darfur, which has claimed between 180,000 and 300,000 lives and displaced 2.4 million people over the past two years.

The rebel Sudan Liberation movement and the Sudanese government also were taking part in the Abuja talks, which resumed after a six-month suspension.

Another JEM source, who asked to remain anonymous, said the government forces took 23 members of the movement from the AU garrison, but released them in another region.

Nigerian General Festus Okonkwo, commander of the 2,700-member peacekeeping and observer mission, which is made up of 2,700 Nigerian and Rwandan troops, confirmed the incident.

He said he was not blaming the government since it was JEM’s responsibility to move its men out of the camp.

Officials meanwhile told AFP that the number of African Union peacekeepers in Darfur would be increased to 6,171 troops by September.

“We’ll start to beef up our forces in Darfur next month. The military component of the mission will be of 6,171 men in September,” said General Okonkwo.

In an opening speech of the fifth round of inter-Sudanese talks on Darfur AU Commission chief Alpha Oumar Konare said the mission force of 6,171 men would include military observers and peacekeepers as well as a civilian police force of 1,560 men.

The AU’s peace and security council has asked for the deployment of African troops to be completed and authorized the dispatch of additional troops by the end of September, said Konare.

NATO and the European Union have pledged logistical and other support for the peacekeeping force.