SUDAN: Government pledges to work with U.N. troops in Darfur

The Sudanese government agrees to cooperate with the proposed deployment of 26,000 hybrid troops authorised by the U.N. Security Council to police the troubled Darfur region. Sudan promised on Wednesday (August 1) to cooperate with a joint United Nations/ African Union force of up to 26,000 troops and police deployed by the U.N. to quell violence in Darfur. The mission will be able to use force to protect civilians and ensure aid gets through but troops will not be able to seize illegal arms. There was also no threat of sanctions in the U.N. resolution if Sudan fails to comply. "We can live with this resolution" said Sudanese Foreign Minister, Lam Akol, "We will undertake implementation faithfully". Deploying the entire force is expected to take up to a year. The mission, authorised on Tuesday (July 31) will aim to end violence in Sudan's remote west, where international experts say about 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes since 2003. Sudan puts the death toll at 9,000 and accuses Western media of exaggerating the conflict, which began when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms complaining of neglect by Khartoum. On the streets of Khartoum, the U.N. decision was not welcomed by some. "I think the African Union in Darfur is helpless, We want Sudan to be for the Sudanese," said one local resident. Another said outside help wasn't needed. Sudan could work out its own problems, "and the problem is the tribes" he said. The U.N. resolution authorizes up to 19,555 military personnel and 6,432 civilian police, although it could take many months to get countries to send them. The operation is expected to cost two billion U.S. dollars in the first year. The rebels themselves have now split into a dozen groups, many fighting one another. The United Nations and African Union are hosting a meeting in Tanzania from Friday to try to unite the groups before peace talks with the government.

ITN Source | August 2, 2007

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