Sudan wants Egyptian troops
2008-06-16 12:00
Cairo, Egypt - Sudan's defence minister asked Egypt on Sunday to commit more police to the troubled Darfur region.
An Egyptian battalion is due in Darfur by the end of June to boost the understaffed UN-AU hybrid force.
Minister Abdul Rahim Hussein said he is requesting more Egyptian troops, including police.
"Sudan wants large Egyptian participation in these troops," he said.
The hybrid peacekeeping mission was deployed in January, but it remains about a third of what it was designed to be. The force also lacks equipment and transport.
Sudan insists the force be predominantly African, causing delays. Only 9 000 of the 26 000 troops authorised for the UN-AU force are currently in Darfur. Sudanese officials said Thai and Nepalese forces could deploy after the Egyptian and Ethiopian forces arrive.
The Egyptian forces in the area are expected to number about 1 200. An advance team is already in place, but UN officials say laying the infrastructure and arrival of equipment for the troops need more time because of the rugged roads to Darfur.
Hussein said an Egyptian police force can be deployed in and around camps in Darfur for people who have been displaced.
He said Egyptian police would have an easier mission because they are Muslim and speak Arabic like people in Darfur.
UN officials complained that banditry and insecurity have been on the rise in Darfur, particularly following an attack by Darfur rebels on the outskirts of Khartoum in May.
Sudan accused Chad of supporting the rebels' march on the capital, and severed diplomatic relations with its eastern neighbour.
- AP