US pushes African nations to give troops for Darfur

Feb 15, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — The United States put pressure on African nations on Thursday to offer troops for a joint U.N./African Union force in Darfur where violence is rising and the humanitarian situation is deteriorating.

“It is absolutely essential that member nations of the UN step up and make those troop contributions because without those troops … you are never going to be able to change the situation,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

McCormack reiterated strong U.S. concern over a rise in violence in Darfur where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since 2003.

Few African nations have offered troops for a Darfur mission and McCormack said he understood the reluctance to go into a dangerous environment.

But, he said, “We would say that it is your responsibility because of the nature of the situation to make those contributions.”

The United States has not offered its own forces but has said it will provide logistical support, and McCormack said other nations could provide help for African countries too.

African nations are also trying to raise 8,000 troops for Somalia and only about half of that need has been met so far.

Sudan has given loose agreement to a three-phased approach for Darfur, which the United Nations wants to include some 17,000 peacekeepers to supplement about 7,000 African Union troops on the ground who are struggling to stop the violence.

But Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has not agreed to the troop number, saying the AU force was strong enough and the United Nations could give money and logistical help to a hybrid force.

The United States said it is losing patience with Sudan’s government over its handling of Darfur and has threatened an unspecified “Plan B” if the situation does not improve and Khartoum does not fully back a U.N./AU force.

“We are taking a close look at the actions of Sudan and constantly making assessments what other policy steps or diplomatic efforts might apply to change the situation,” said McCormack.

“This is not business as usual,” he added.

The United States has called what is happening in Darfur genocide. Sudan rejects this and says the death toll has been exaggerated.

Some members of Congress are pushing for military action in Darfur and for a no-fly zone to be implemented there along with other measures.

Asked why if the violence was getting worse the United States and others did not react more strongly, McCormack replied: “The United States is not in a position by itself to unilaterally change the situation in Darfur. We wish that it were, but that is simply not the case,” he said.

(Reuters)