The African Union on Thursday committed itself to international military intervention in the Darfur crisis, setting it in direct confrontation with the Sudanese government.
The AU, a pan-continental body, is to send a 300-strong protection force to Darfur to support 60 AU monitors who began work last month.
But the Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, said the force would not now limit itself to the protection of the monitors and saw its role as also protecting civilians.
The Sudanese government said the force had to stick rigidly to its remit of protecting the monitors, and protection of civilians remained a matter for the Sudanese government alone.
The row came as the United Nations security council on Thursday began work on a new resolution. Britain is considering proposing including in the resolution’s text that an arms ban be placed on Sudan.
Colin Powell, US secretary of state, warned Sudan could face unspecified ”further measures” if it did not stop the violence that has driven more than one million people from their homes in Darfur. The Sudanese government stands accused of supporting the armed Janjaweed militia marauding through the area.
Powell said: ”We need immediate improvement in the situation and if we don’t see that then the United States and the international community will have to consider further measures.”
At UN headquarters, work began on a US draft resolution for the security council which proposes an arms embargo on the Janjaweed and a freeze on its members’ assets. The British government regards the action as impractical. Its preferred option is an arms embargo on the whole country. – Guardian Unlimited Â