SUDAN: AU to double peacekeeping force in Darfur

ADDIS ABABA, 29 Apr 2005 (IRIN) - The African Union (AU) agreed on Thursday to substantially increase the size of its peacekeeping force in the troubled western Sudanese region of Darfur, officials said.

AU Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit told journalists after a meeting of the pan-African body's peace and security council in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, that the enhanced force would be in place by the end of September.

Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda had already pledged to contribute extra troops, he added.

"We are concerned over the continuing crisis in Darfur and condemn the continued attacks against defenceless civilians," Djinnit said. "These extra troops will further promote a more secure environment and help build confidence as well as protecting civilians."

The AU acknowledged that its current 2,300-strong force, which it plans to increase to 3,320 by late May, was "extremely stretched" and could not fulfil its mandate.

The increased force would come to more than 7,700 men, including nearly 5,500 troops, 1,600 civilian police and some 700 military observers.

AU commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare told the council that attacks against civilians were still continuing and that a “new phenomenon” had occurred: the deliberate targeting of the AU peacekeepers.

"Militarily, the force should be in a position to promote a secure environment across Darfur," he said in a report to the council.

"As difficult as the situation in Darfur is, it is my strong conviction that the AU’s efforts, if intensified and pursued with determination, will ultimately lead to the restoration of lasting peace and stability in that region," Konare added.

The AU also said it was struggling to get enough civilian police into the region, a vital component of their protection mission. So far only a quarter of the proposed civilian police contingent had been deployed because of poor logistical support, Konare said.

He added that the AU would need to quadruple the force to 12,300 to restore order in Darfur, a view endorsed by Jan Pronk, the UN's special envoy to Sudan.

"We need to get around 12,000 troops in by early next year as soon as we have a peace agreement," Pronk told journalists outside the closed-door meeting. "We need a comprehensive peace agreement between the government and the rebels by early next year. I don't think people will return before there is a peace agreement."

The 12,000 troops, he added, would be expected to remain in Darfur for around four years.

Pronk said the situation in Darfur had improved since last year, but 500 people were still dying every month. He also said serious violations of a cease-fire – most of which were committed by the rebels - were continuing.

"The AU presence has resulted in more stability where they are, but they have to be able to back their mediation with force," added Pronk.

The 15-strong AU council did not discuss newly announced talks with NATO on possible logistical support or strengthening the current mandate, Djinnit said. But after the four-and-a-half hour meeting, he added that the "scope" of the mandate would be further increased to allow greater protection of civilians, convoys and checkpoints.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Sudanese ambassador to the AU, Abuzeid Alhassein, said the pan-African body risked being seen by the Sudanese as an occupying force if it broadened its mandate and allowed AU peacekeepers to step in and use force to protect civilians.

"The protection of the civilians in Darfur should be left to the Sudanese civilian police," Alhassein said. "We do not think the AU should strengthen its mandate because if it engages militarily with people it will be seen as an occupying force."

The Darfur conflict broke out in February 2003 after rebels in the region took up arms, complaining of discrimination by Sudan's Arab-dominated government. Human rights organisations accuse the Sudanese government of responding by backing a counterinsurgency led by militias known as the Janjawid.

According to the UN, over 2.4 million people continue to be affected by the conflict, 1.85 million of whom are internally displaced or have been forced to flee to neighbouring Chad.

[ENDS]