Sudan vows not to let Darfur peacekeepers undermine its sovereignty
August 6, 2007 (LANGKAWI, Malaysia) — Sudan’s government wants a swift end to the violence in its Darfur region, but it will make sure that plans to deploy a joint African Union-U.N. peacekeeping force won’t impinge on its sovereignty, a senior official said Monday.
Efforts to resolve the Darfur conflict have gained momentum following the U.N. Security Council’s approval last week for a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force, and a meeting over the weekend between Darfur’s splinter rebel factions and international officials to discuss an agenda for possible peace talks with the Sudanese government.
Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir had previously resisted a push to send U.N. peacekeepers, saying he viewed U.N. blue helmets as a neocolonial force. But Sudan agreed in June to a compromise deal for the African Union to deploy jointly with the U.N. in a “hybrid force.”
Tagelsir Mahgoub, secretary general for national strategic planning in al-Bashir’s office, said Sudan remains adamant that the force must comprise mainly African troops.
“This will be very carefully looked at, because we cannot jeopardize our national sovereignty in any way,” Mahgoub said on the sidelines of an economic conference involving Asian and African government leaders in northern Malaysia.
“Sudan accepts the (U.N.) decision on a very clear basis, and we hope things will go according to what has already been decided, and there will not be changes,” said Mahgoub, who was accompanying al-Bashir on the visit to Malaysia.
The new mission will take over from an underfunded and poorly equipped 7,000-strong African Union force now in Darfur.
The conflict in Darfur began in February 2003 when ethnic African tribes rebelled against what they considered decades of neglect and discrimination by the Arab-dominated government.
Sudan’s government is accused of retaliating by unleashing a militia of Arab nomads known as the janjaweed _ a charge it denies. More than 200,000 people have died, and 2.5 million have been uprooted.
The Sudanese government hopes to have the rebel groups integrated in the peace process by year’s end, Mahgoub said.
“We hope it will be finalized before the end of this year, that peace will finally come around,” Mahgoub said. “The Darfur problem now is moving toward being finally settled.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said his country will consider contributing personnel for the peacekeeping operations.
Sudan has also asked Malaysia to help build new houses, schools and health facilities to enable displaced people to return home, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.
(AP)