Sudan will not block German airlift of African troops to Darfur

KHARTOUM, Dec 4 (AFP) — The Sudanese government said Saturday it would not oppose a German offer to airlift African Union (AU) troops to the troubled Darfur region, after previously objecting to German interference.

Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail (photo) told reporters Khartoum would agree to the German assistance as long as German troops are not based on Sudanese territory.

“The Sudan will not object to such troops since they are not going to be based in Sudan,” Ismail told reporters.

He was speaking one day after the Germany parliament unanimously agreed to provide up to 200 troops to help transport AU soldiers into the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur.

Junior Defence Minister Walter Kolbow told the Bundestag lower house of parliament that German soldiers will not be based in Darfur.

Germany will use two military transport planes to fly AU troops into Darfur from Tanzania. A third plane will be put on standby.

On November 24, the Sudanese foreign ministry summoned Germany’s ambassador to Khartoum to protest against any possible German troop deployment to Darfur.

The AU decided last month to widen its mission in Darfur by sending 3,300 observers. Around 760 troops from Rwanda and Nigeria are already in the region having been transported by France and the United States.

The crisis in Darfur flared in February 2003 when rebels rose up against what they allege is the political and economic marginalisation of black Africans by the Arab-led government.

Since then, more than 70,000 people have been killed or have died from hunger and disease in the area and another 1.5 million have been displaced, according to the United Nations.