African Union may deploy peacekeeping force in Darfur

NAIROBI, July 28 (AFP) — The African Union has said it may deploy a “full-fledged peacekeeping mission” in Sudan’s Darfur region to force the government-backed Janjaweed militia to lay down its arms in line with a ceasefire deal.

The pan-African body is already planning to send some 300 troops to Darfur by the end of July to protect its team of observers and monitors overseeing the implementation of a shaky ceasefire deal between the militia and rebel groups.

The AU’s Peace and Security Council on Tuesday asked the body’s chairman to prepare “a comprehensive plan on how best to enhance the effectiveness of the AU mission on the ground.”

“This includes the possibility of the said mission into a full-fledged peacekeeping mission, with the requisite mandate and size to ensure the effective implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” an AU statement said.

The mission will lay much emphasis on the “neutralisation of the Janjaweed militia, the protection of the civilians population and the facilitation of the delivery of humanitarian assistance.”

The Sudanese government, which has repeatedly pledged to disarm the Janjaweed, said Tuesday it would face down any foreign military intervention in the crisis.

Two rebel groups in Darfur rose up against Khartoum in February 2003, claiming that the mainly black African region had been ignored by the Arab government.

The uprising prompted a bloody crackdown by Sudanese troops and Janjaweed militias, which have carried out what aid and rights groups have called a massive campaign of ethnic cleansing.

The death toll could be as high as 50,000 and about 1.2 million people have been displaced in the region in 17 months of conflict, according to UN officials.