Norwegian-Swedish troop contribution to Darfur welcomed
October 6, 2007 (STOCKHOLM) — The United Nations and the African Union (AU) have notified Norway that they gratefully accept the offer by Norway and Sweden to provide an engineer unit for the UN/AU Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), said reports reaching here from Oslo on Saturday.
The UN and the AU will also notify the Sudanese authorities of the decision, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported.
“A major outstanding issue relating to the Norwegian-Swedish contribution has now been resolved. This brings us an important step closer to the aim of securing greater support for UN peace operations,” said Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Stoere.
“We feel that it is positive that the UN and AU have welcomed the Norwegian-Swedish troop contribution. Norway will now continue its planning, with the aim of deploying our contribution early next year,” Stoere told NRK, emphasizing that Norway will coordinate its actions with the United Nations.
The Norwegian-Swedish unit will consist of up to 400 personnel. UNAMID will have a total staff of around 26,000, comprising 19,500military personnel and 6,400 police officers. Norway will also be contributing police officers to UNAMID.
“We recognize that this will be an extremely demanding mission. We therefore want to ensure that the unit has reliable supply lines and robust close-range defence and medical capabilities, to ensure optimal security for personnel,” said Minister of Defence Anne-Grete Stroem-Erichsen.
The Norwegian-Swedish unit is expected to be deployed in Darfur for 12 months. Engineering resources will be provided to enable the unit to provide effective support to UNAMID.
(Xinhua)