As peace talks aimed at finding a political solution to the crisis in Sudan’s western Darfur region were due to resume in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Thursday, the African Union approved plans to boost its military force in Darfur.
The last round of peace talks ended last month without any real results. This round, expected to last for three weeks, risked being delayed, as the delegation from one of the rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), said it would not be able to reach Abuja in time
Meanwhile, the African Union, at its headquarters in Ethiopia, on Wednesday approved plans to enlarge their military presence in Darfur.
There are currently about 300 troops in Darfur, from Rwanda and Nigeria, charged with protecting the ceasefire monitors there.
The government of Sudan has long opposed plans to boost the force, but recently accepted that the number of troops be increased. It is not yet clear, however, whether Khartoum has accepted a change of mandate, from protection to fully-fledged peacekeeping.
In a statement late Wednesday, the African Union said the mandate of the new force, which will number almost 3 500, is to ”contribute to a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian relief and … the return of IDPs [internally displaced people] and refugees to their homes”.
The force is also to ”contribute to the improvement of the security situation throughout Darfur”.
The statement also said that the mandate would allow the AU force to ”protect civilians whom it encounters under imminent threat”.
The force will be allowed to ”deter uncontrolled armed groups from committing hostile acts against the population”, but it is not clear whether the African force will be allowed to actively attempt to disarm the Janjaweed militia, which is accused of wreaking havoc among the civilian population since the conflict started early in
2003.
The AU has said it hopes the forces will be in place late October or early November.
The United Nations estimates that 70 000 people have died from violence, starvation and disease since the conflict started. Around 1,5-million people have been forced to flee their homes. – Sapa-DPA