Sudan agrees to UN command of AU force in Darfur

Nov 30, 2006 (ABUJA) — Sudan has agreed to allow the United Nations to take over command of the African Union peacekeeping force in the war-torn region of Darfur, a top AU official said.

He said the mandate of the force in Darfur had also been extended for a further six months.

“We have welcomed Sudan’s acceptance of the use of systems and command and control structures of the UN,” AU Peace and Security Council head Said Djinnit told reporters in Abuja at the end of the inaugural African-South American summit.

The decision was taken at a meeting on Darfur — attended by Sudanese president Omad al Bashir — that had been held on the margins of the summit in Abuja, Djinnit said.

On November 16, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced that Sudan had agreed “in principle” to the deployment a “hybrid” UN-AU peacekeeping force in Darfur.

This appeared to signal a change in the position of Khartoum, which had vehemently opposed any significant UN role in Darfur, arguing it would be a violation of its sovereignty and could worsen the situation there.

(AFP)