Russia to send 200 peacekeepers to Sudan

Feb 21, 2006 (MOSCOW) — A contingent of 200 Russian peacekeepers will fly to Sudan in mid-April to join U.N. forces already there, a senior military official has said.

Gen. Sergei Shevchenko, deputy commander of the Russian air force, said Monday that, in addition to the troops, four fully equipped Mi-8 (Havoc) military transport helicopters and over 100 metric tons of cargo would be airlifted to Sudan, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 7 signed a decree to send Russian troops to the northern African state, where for 21 years Muslims in the north and Christians and animists in the south fought a civil war before agreeing to peace in 2005.

The Russian troops and helicopters will support rapid deployment forces, airlift troops, evacuate the wounded, conduct aerial surveys and search operations, and deliver U.N. personnel and equipment to locations across Sudan.

Russian peacekeepers will bring their own equipment and will be independent from other nations’ contingents, Shevchenko said.

In addition to Sudan, Russian troops are participating in U.N. peace missions in Kosovo, Haiti, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Middle East and Georgia, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

(UPI)