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More troops for Darfur
07/08/2007 15:18 - (SA)
Langkawi - Zambia urged African countries on Tuesday to contribute to a joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur, supporting Sudan's stance that soldiers from outside the region were unnecessary.
Zambian Information Minister Mike Mulongoti said: "Sudan is a sovereign state, so there is nothing wrong with Sudan wanting an African peacekeeping force.
"What are the benefits to be derived from having forces come in from outside Africa? In Africa, there are sufficient forces ... that can be trained in an African environment."
Last week, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a 26 000-strong force to help end four years of rape and slaughter of civilians in the vast Sudanese desert region of Darfur.
Ethiopia pledges to contribute troops
If the force was fully deployed it would be the world's largest peacekeeping operation.
The force was expected to absorb and take over from a beleaguered 7 000-strong AU force - which included Zambia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa - currently in Darfur no later than December 31.
The UN said the force, called UNAMID, would have "a predominantly African character" as Sudan had demanded.
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria, Egypt and Ethiopia had pledged to contribute troops to a joint force.
Mulongoti said Zambia would also participate, but he could not immediately say how many more troops it would send.
Mulongoti said: "Our contribution is inevitable", emphasising that it was important for African countries to be "supported by people around you and close to you".
France, Denmark and Indonesia had also offered to contribute to the joint mission. Australia said it would send a small number of doctors and nurses, but no troops or security personnel.
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