Libya proposes to deploy AU soldiers on Chad-Sudan border
Jan 19, 2006 (TRIPOLI) — The Libyan Leader, Colonel Muammar Gadhafi announced an initiative to solve the Chad-Sudan dispute, as a president of the Community of the Sahel and Saharan States, (COMESSA), reported the Libyan JANA news agency.
Gadhafi proposes the deployment along the volatile Sudan Chad borders of three thousand soldiers from the current African Union force in Darfur to close these borders in the face of the rebels from both sides, and prevent infiltration and shifting of arms from one side into the other.
Chad and Sudan have traded accusations of supporting rebel groups against each other. Chad has demanded that neighbouring Sudan disarm Chadian rebels in its violent Darfur region as a condition for peace talks to end a growing dispute with Khartoum over rebel and militia raids in the border area.
In a statement to the Sudanese TV, Gadhafi said he had presented his initiative to the Chadian and Sudanese presidents.
Libyan leader said that Chad-Sudan row represent a regional concern, “It is obvious that the problem of concern to us is the problem between two fraternal neighbouring countries” Gadhafi said. He indicated Sudan and Chad are members of COMESSA, and he is “entrusted by its summit for high peace mediation in this region, and “have the right to present these initiatives”.
“I am hoping that a summit between the concerned countries, which called for by the chairman of the African Union be convened before the African Union summit in Khartoum” he further added.
Regarding Darfur, the Libyan leader said “it is a Sudanese internal problem” which “has no connection with the problem outside Sudan”.
In the meantime, we work for the enforcement of security in Darfur, in exchange for the withdrawal of these number of AU forces from there into the borders. Libya would be leading in this matter for peace in this region.
African countries should help in the financing of these forces he said
Sudan and Chad are both members of the COMESSA.
(ST)