AU asks Nato to help in Darfur
2005-04-27 22:29
Brussels - The African Union has asked to start talks with Nato for logistical help in its mission in Sudan's war-torn western Darfur region, an official said on Wednesday.
The request was made in a letter sent to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer by AU commission chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare, said Nato spokesperson James Appathurai.
After receiving the message at Nato's headquarters on Wednesday morning, De Hoop Scheffer quickly told the permanent representatives of Nato's members who then "agreed that exploratory talks should begin with the AU", said Appathurai.
The request comes ahead of a scheduled meeting on Thursday of senior AU diplomats in Addis Ababa to mull on a significant expansion of the pan-African body's operation in Sudan's troubled western region of Darfur.
May boost mission by 100%
The AU's peace and security council will meet on Thursday to discuss the possible expansion of the present mission, perhaps by more than 100%, said an official at the pan-African body's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital.
Thursday's meeting has been called "to discuss reinforcing the African Union mission to Sudan," Said Djinnit said, adding that the existing mission might be more than doubled.
The AU now has about 2 200 troops in Darfur protecting AU observers monitoring a shaky ceasefire between Khartoum, its proxy militia and two rebel groups who have been fighting the government for two years.
It already plans to boost the size of its Darfur mission to 3 320 by the end of May, but many have said the expansion should be larger.