Nato, EU to help AU

2005-06-08 22:19

Brussels - European Union and Nato have offered to fly troops to Darfur in an effort to help the African Union beef up its peacekeeping operation in the western region Sudan, said officials on Wednesday.

The EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation planned to train and airlift about 5 000 African Union troops being deployed to Darfur, the site of one of the world's worst humanitarian catastrophes.

There were already about 2 700 AU peacekeepers in Darfur, but the African organisation needed logistical help to get more troops into the region this size of France.

Nato official said EU and them planned to run their operations separately, although they would co-operate and try to avoid duplicating efforts.

SA, Nigeria ask for help, too

The US - which wanted Nato to run the airlift - planned to fly Rwandan troops to Darfur as part the alliance airlift. France - which pushed for an EU-co-ordinated airlift - would fly Senegalese troops under the EU flag.

South Africa and Nigeria had also asked for help to fly troops to western Sudan.

It was hoped the first group of additional troops could be flown in before the rainy season begins in July.

The Nato defence ministers were expected to formally endorse the mission at a meeting on Thursday. The EU foreign ministers were to approve the EU airlift on Monday.

Nato would only fly peacekeepers to Darfur and provide support staff to help the AU run a headquarters.

Provision of cars, mobile generators

Only Canada had expressed a readiness to provide helicopters to fly peacekeepers within Darfur.

EU officials had said that, aside from the airlifts, the 25-nation bloc was ready to also provide planning support, vehicles, communications and mobile generators.

But both Nato and the EU were leaving the AU in charge of the peacekeeping operation in Darfur, where a 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 was accused of responding with a scorched-earth counter-insurgency campaign using Arab militia as its proxies.

AU 'to boost peacekeeping force'

At least 180 000 people had died - many from hunger and disease - and about 2 million others had fled their homes to escape the conflict.

The AU planned to boost its 2 270-strong peacekeeping force in Darfur to more than 7 700 troops, but faced severe logistical problems in a region the size of France.

The Nato-EU standoff over who should run an airlift.

Washington said Nato's military planners were the best for the job.

France wanted the EU to take charge, underscoring Paris' desire to develop European military action more independently of the US-led Atlantic alliance and its concern that growing Nato involvement in Africa could sap France's traditional influence.

- AP