Norway to join UN force to Sudan as planned

STOCKHOLM, Aug 4, 2005 (Xinhua) — Norwegian soldiers taking part in a United Nations peace-keeping effort in Sudan are either already in place or on their way to the country, despite the death of the country’s vice-president, Norwegian Broadcasting reported on Thursday.

John Garang was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this week, setting off even more tensions in the country that divide the populations in the north and the south.

The Norwegian soldiers will work as observers on sanitation projects and contribute medical assistance. A military spokesman said a medical team of nine persons has been working in Sudan since early July.

Communication director Erling Boe at the Joint Operative Headquarters near Stavanger said that the Norwegian contingent at present will number 25 persons.