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Sudan Tribune

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Sudan will not accept any European troops for hybrid force: Official

October 28, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese government will not accept any European personnel as part of the hybrid force to be deployed in Darfur, a Sudanese official told reporters in Khartoum.

“Any technical teams within the agreement supposed to have been come from China and Pakistan” Foreign affairs spokesman Ali Al-Sadig said.

UN Security Council resolution 1769 establishing UN-AU hybrid force provided for a transition from the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to the force known as UNAMID by December 31st.

However Ban Ki-Moon said that several obstacles stand in the way of a speedy deployment including the land needed for the construction of UNAMID headquarters in Darfur. The Sudanese government has yet to assign the land for the hybrid force.

The other issue pending is Sudan’s approval on a list of troop donor countries for the Darfur force. At Sudan’s request the UN resolution called for a force with a “predominantly African character” but stressed the need for “a force which could effectively implement the mandate set out in resolution 1769”.

Diplomats said Sudan has not yet approved units from Thailand, Nepal and Norway even though 90 percent of the ground troops and 75 percent of the entire proposed force are from Africa. The US envoy at the UN threatened Sudan with further sanctions if it continues with “foot dragging”.

Al-Sadig said that some countries in the UN want to admit other countries as part of the force particularly from Europe.

“Deployment of any troops rather than those agreed upon are not matter of concern to Sudan” he stressed.

This is the first formal reaction from a Sudanese official on the list of troop donating countries submitted by the UN & AU to Khartoum for approval. Sudan’s position may suggest that there may be further delays in the deployment of the hybrid force.

The head of the peace department at ministry of foreign affairs Sirag Al-Deen Hamid told the government sponsored Sudanese media Center (SMC) that if African countries are unable to provide the necessary forces then Khartoum has the right “to recruit elements from Arab and Islamic sources”.

Yesterday the “tank killers”, a special units of a government militia known as Popular Defense Forces, issued a statement urging the government to reject the hybrid force altogether.

The statement described classification of troops into “acceptable French troops” and “non-acceptable Norweigan troops” as “ridiculous”.

International experts estimate 200,000 people have died in the conflict, which Washington calls genocide, a term European governments are reluctant to use. The Sudan government says 9,000 people have been killed.

(ST)

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