EU opt-outs halt Danish military presence in Darfur

COPENHAGEN, July 19, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) — Denmark’s EU defence opt-out now means that two Danish officers must leave Sudan’s disaster-struck Darfur region, the Danmarks Radio said.

The officers were part of a group of European military experts who are helping the African Union with planning logistics to get the AU’s peacekeeping forces into place in the region, organize transport, create supply lines and establish camps.

However, EU ministers decided on Monday 18 July to bring aid to the African Union under the auspices of the EU, so now the Danes can no longer take part.

“It is unfortunate that the defence opt-out is again forcing us to recall Danes from international assignments,” says Defence Minister Soeren Gade.

Most Danish soldiers can remain

The decision to recall the two officers has no effect on about 45 Danish soldiers who have been posted to Sudan as part of the UN peacekeeping force and therefore have nothing to do with the EU opt-out. The contribution Denmark makes via NATO will not be withdrawn either.

“The government wants Denmark to contribute to the resolution of Darfur’s problems. It is therefore regrettable that we cannot contribute military support through the EU. Fortunately we can still contribute to the civilian part of the EU effort and NATO’s work to support the AU in Darfur.

The conflict in Darfur has been going on for two-and-a-half years, around 180,000 people are believed to have lost their lives and more than two million people have been driven from their homes in what the UN has described as one of the world’s worst humanitarian conflicts.

Material provided by the BBC Monitoring Service.