Darfur forces should come from Africa – Arab League

Nov 20, 2006 (CAIRO) — Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Musa said Monday that peacekeeping troops to be dispatched to Sudan’s Darfur should be “African forces” under the African command and with the support of the UN, Egypt’s official news agency MENA reported.

As for the pending topics, especially the size of peacekeeping troops and their tasks, the AL chief said that such matters would be discussed at the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council summit, slated for Nov. 29 in Nigeria.

Musa also urged Arab countries to step up their assistance to the current AU troops in Darfur as what they promised at an Arab summit held in Khartoum in March.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Aug. 31 calling for the deployment of more than 20,000 international peacekeepers to replace the 7,800-strong AU forces in Darfur.

But the Sudanese government has rejected the mission transfer, saying it was a violation of Sudan’s sovereignty and an effort by the West to colonize the African oil producing country.

The AU Peace and Security Council agreed in September to extend the mandate of its forces in Darfur to the end of this year with the helps to be provided by the UN and the international society.

The 22-member Arab League, which also hosts Sudan, has been firmly supporting Sudan on its stance regarding the deployment of international forces.

(Xinhua)