African Union asks for more Darfur help – NATO

May 24, 2006 (BRUSSELS) — The African Union has accepted a NATO offer to extend its assistance in Sudan’s violent Darfur region, the Western military alliance said on Wednesday, stressing its presence there would remain small.

NATO provided training and transport to African Union troops struggling to quell the violence there earlier this year and has signalled its willingness to provide more help.

“The AU has asked NATO to extend its support. NATO has already taken a decision to be willing to do it, so that will now go forward,” NATO spokesman James Appathurai said.

He added that the AU had requested more help in airlift of troops and training until end-September, noting that by then it should have handed over leadership of the peace mission to the United Nations.

“It means a limited number of NATO personnel there. From what has been agreed now between NATO and the AU it would not require a significant expansion of the numbers we have now,” he said, adding NATO has had at most 15 trainers on the ground.

The United States has been a vocal backer of a significant NATO role in Darfur but other allies are cautious, with the Sudanese government resisting international involvement.

Sudan is still refusing to allow a technical team to plan the deployment of U.N. troops to Darfur later this year despite a U.N. Security Council resolution last week insisting it do so.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than 2 million forced from their homes during three years of rape, murder and arson in Darfur.

Despite a May 5 peace deal signed by the government and one of three rebel factions, reports continue of attacks on civilians in Darfur with 250,000 forced to flee their homes this year alone and militias attacking AU troops.

(Reuters)