Nato defence ministers were finalising plans on Thursday for the alliance’s first mission in Africa — helping to fly an extra 5 000 African peacekeepers to the troubled Darfur region of Sudan.
They also considered boosting the alliance’s presence in Afghanistan ahead of September parliamentary elections there.
The Nato ministers were to give formal backing for an airlift of African troops to Darfur, while stressing that the AU would remain in charge of the peacekeeping operation.
The AU currently has about 2 700 peacekeepers in Darfur, site of one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes.
”The situation in that region is appalling, and we must do all that is in our power — in coordination with other organisations, starting with the European Union — to assist the African Union in its efforts,” Nato secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told the ministers.
The Darfur crisis erupted in 2003 when rebels took up arms because of what they considered years of state neglect and discrimination against Sudanese of African origin.
The government in Khartoum is accused of responding with a scorched-earth counterinsurgency campaign using Arab militia as its proxies. At least 180 000 people have died — many from hunger and disease — and about two million others have fled their homes to escape the conflict.
The AU wants to deploy another 5 000 troops — ideally before next month’s start of the rainy season — but needs aircraft to send them into the region, which is the size of France.
At least some of those additional troops will be flown in by a separate EU mission, which EU ministers are expected to approve next week.
Washington had hoped for a Nato-commanded airlift operation, but France insisted the EU take charge. As a result, the two will run ”side-by-side” airlift operations while taking pains to avoid duplication, a Nato official said.
Struck dismissed the Nato-EU split, telling reporters: ”The main thing is that assistance is extended.”
The United States plans to fly Rwandan troops to Darfur as part of the alliance airlift. France will fly Senegalese troops under the EU flag. South Africa and Nigeria have also asked for help to fly troops to western Sudan.
Officials said Nato will only fly peacekeepers to Darfur and provide some support staff to help the AU run a headquarters. Only Canada has expressed a readiness to provide helicopters to fly peacekeepers within Darfur.
On Afghanistan, De Hoop Scheffer told the ministers that ”significant progress has been achieved” in making the country a safer place.
However, citing recent outbreaks of violence, he cautioned: ”We must avoid excessive optimism.”
By September, Nato planners hope to deploy an extra 3 000 soldiers for the 8 300-strong International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
Hundreds of extra troops will come from Romania, Spain and The Netherlands. German Defence Minister Peter Struck said Germany is asking its Parliament to add to the 2 250 German soldiers already there.
Afghanistan’s September 18 parliamentary elections are seen as a key step toward the development of democratic institutions.
The extra Nato troops must provide security for thousands of candidates and hundreds of polling stations. Nato took similar steps to boost its peacekeeping force during the presidential elections last October.
Nato troops now provide for security in Kabul and across northern and western provinces. It plans to take over from the US in the more volatile southern sector in 2006, with Britain, Canada, Romania and The Netherlands providing most of the manpower.
The defence ministers were also to meet on Thursday with their counterparts from Russia and the Ukraine. — Sapa-AP