Al-Bashir: Only AU peacekeepers allowed in Darfur region

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-03-2007 10:04

The Sudanese President says only African Union troops should be allowed to keep the peace in the country's war-torn Darfur region.

Meanwhile, AU forces have suffered their single deadliest attack in just over two and half years. Five Senegalese soldiers serving as part of the AU were killed by unknown gunmen on Sunday, near the Sudanese border with Chad. The Chairperson of the AU Commission, Alpha Oumar Konare, has condemned the killings as a clear violation of existing ceasefire agreements.

Sudan's President is insisting that only African Union, or AU, forces should take part in peace-keeping missions in the country's Darfur region. Omer al-Bashir clarified his position in parliament, in the face of mounting pressure from the United States and the UN, to allow UN forces into Darfur.

AU peacekeepers were first deployed in August 2004 after a year and a half of fierce internal fighting. This has killed as many as 200,000 people, and left more than 2 million homeless. Just 7,000 AU forces now struggle to keep the peace in a region still torn by daily violence and suffering. Al-Bashir has proven resistant to UN offers to send troops in.

But former UN Chief, Kofi Annan, reached a minor breakthrough late last year with a three-phase deal. The first phase received Khartoum's approval, and allows for light UN support for the AU. But the Sudanese government has been wary of moving any further into the second and third phases, which could see as many as 20,000 UN troops deployed in Darfur.

Al-Bashir said, "The African Union shall continue to lead and be responsible for security in Darfur. And the participation of the UN and international community should stay within the framework of the three-phases agreed with the former UN Secretary-General."

Sudan fears that allowing foreign troops into the country will amount to what it calls a "return to colonialism". But this may change with rising concerns in the international community over what many consider a spiraling humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region.

Editor:Du Xiaodan