AU, UN and Sudan to discuss Darfur hybrid force in June
May 27, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — A tripartite meeting between Sudanese government, UN and the AU will be held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in the first week of June.
African Union, United Nations and Sudan will hold meeting during the first week of June to set an agreement on the UN third packages support known as hybrid operation with at least 23,000 troops and police.
Sudan agreed to the first two phases, but refused to sign off on the third and final phase – the hybrid U.N.-A.U. force – saying it would only allow a larger African force with technical and logistical support from the U.N. Also wants to renegotiate the number of the troops saying it is too large.
The head of Sudanese mission at the UN, Ambassador Abdelmahmood Abdelhaleem told reporters he received a copy of the report on the proposal and passed it to Sudan government. Khartoum would study the report and convey remarks on it as soon as possible, he added.
U.N. Security Council endorsed 40 pages of plans on Friday for a Darfur peacekeeping force of more than 23,000 troops and police to protect civilians and use force to deter violence.
Calling for implementation of the force, the Security Council demanded that all parties “support the political process, end violence against civilians and attacks on peacekeepers and facilitate humanitarian relief.”
The joint AU-UN proposals have two troop options: one with 19,500, composed of 18 infantry battalions, and another with 17,605, with 15 infantry battalions. Police would include 3,772 officers and perhaps an additional 2,500 policemen to establish a local police force in refugee camps.
The troops also are to monitor the border between Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic, where refugees have fled, often chased by militia. Sudan and Chad support one another’s rebels and the report noted that “Chadian rebels in West Darfur and Sudanese rebels in eastern Chad.”
(ST)