Sudanese govt must approve additional AU force in Darfur: al-Khalifa
ABUJA, Aug 29 (AFP) — The Sudanese government said here Sunday that it must approve any increase in the number of African Union troops to crisis-ridden Darfur above the 300 soldiers agreed last month with the AU.
“AU troops are welcome in Sudan. But for any increase of the AU force there…they will seek Sudan’s government permission,” the head of the official delegation to the AU peace talks, Majzoub al-Khalifa, told journalists in a reaction to the AU chairman’s reported statement that he was setting aside two battalions from Nigeria for Darfur.
“The deployment of 150 troops on Monday (to Darfur) is in fulfilment of the July 8 accord between Sudan, the AU and Nigeria for the sending of a total of 307 officers approved as monitors. The whole protection in Darfur is primarily the responsibility of Sudan and its armed forces and no other body,” he said.
His statement came hours before the planned deployment on Monday of a 150-strong company of Nigerian troops to Darfur to join an African Union force protecting ceasefire monitors.
The troops are to head to al-Fasher in northern Darfur to join a 150-strong Rwandan unit, also under AU command, protecting 133 unarmed observers overseeing a ceasefire signed in April between rebels and government forces.
Nigerian army spokesman Colonel Mohammed Yusuf said that the Nigerian contingent would leave from Abuja airport at 7:00 am (0600 GMT) on Monday.
AU chairman and Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo and other senior African officials have urged Sudan to allow a larger force, between 2,000 and 3,000 strong, to deploy to Darfur to protect civilians and aid supplies.
Any plan to increase the troops in Darfur “will be discussed in a special way with the Sudanese government,” Khalifa insisted.
The United Nations reports that more than 1.2 million people have been driven from their homes during the 18-month-old conflict between government and rebel forces and are now facing disease and starvation.
But Khartoum has yet to give the go-ahead to such a mission, and insists that the force would be responsible simply for demobilising and disarming the rebels rather than protecting vulnerable civilians.
Nigeria and Rwanda have nevertheless set aside troops for an expanded mission, and on Saturday Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa said his country, Kenya and Uganda might send a force.