Rebel leader welcomes Darfur hybrid force

January 1, 2007 (PARIS) — The leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) welcomed the start of the peacekeeping mission by a hybrid force of the United Nations and the African Union (AU) in Darfur. He further urged to provide it with the necessary planes.

Abdelwahid al-Nur, hailed the take over of the hybrid peacekeeping force from the ill-equipped African troops. He also called upon the international community to provide the necessary planes and equipments saying such shortage will paralyze the 26000 troops from fulfilling its mandate.

International community has not come through with equipment such as military helicopters and vehicles the U.N. says are vital for the new force to reach hotspots quickly and protect civilians.

The SLM founder, who requests the protection of Darfur civilians before to engage the peace process, told Sudan Tribune that this force should create the necessary conditions to “make peace not to keep peace”.

Al-Nur said Western world, EU and USA particularly, should supply the needed equipment to enable this operation to protect the civilians in Darfur.

He added that the hybrid force without the military helicopters would be unable to curb the violence and would be reduced by Khartoum obstruction to another AU force.

The head of the UN department of peacekeeping operations, Jean Marie Guehenno, said that the mission of the 26,000-member peacekeeping force for Darfur may fail without air mobility and firepower.

The force needs 24 helicopters, including six helicopter gunships, to overcome any test of strength in the early phase of their deployment in 2008.

The force hopes to offer better protection to more than 4 million Darfuris affected by the revolt in Darfur by mostly non-Arab rebels in 2003. International experts estimate some 200,000 have died and 2.5 million been driven from their homes in almost five years.

(ST)