The United Nations wants to organize a
Western-equipped rapid response force in Sudan.
Western diplomatic sources said the proposed force would take over the
African Union
peace-keeping mission in Sudan's Darfour province. They said the AU, whose
mandate ends on March 31, has failed to obtain the funding and troops
required to continue its presence in the war-torn region.
"We have already considered what the options are, and there are no
decisions made, but it is very actively under consideration," U.S. envoy to
the UN John Bolton said.
[On Saturday, Sudan rejected any proposal to deploy Western troops in
Darfour, Middle East Newsline reported. Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol Ajawin said the AU has not
approved any UN involvement in the peace-keeping effort in the province.]
UN officials, acknowledging that international efforts to halt the war
in Darfour have failed, envision a 20,000-member rapid-response force. They
said such a force, equipped with helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, must
prevent Sudan's military and Janjaweed militia from continuing ethnic
cleansing in Darfour.
"Many areas have been cleansed," UN envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk said. "They
[Janjaweed] have free passage in the countryside. Millions of villagers
sitting in camps are too afraid to leave. Terror continues."
Pronk told a briefing on Jan. 13 that up to 1,000 Janjaweed fighters
attack villages on a monthly basis. He said dozens of people are killed in
these attacks.
UN secretary-general Kofi Annan said the proposed rapid-response force
would have superior capabilities to the AU unit. Annan said the UN force
would be mobile and contain tactical air support.
"The force has to be mobile, has to have tactical air support, must have
helicopters and the ability to respond very quickly," Annan said. "It would
need very sophisticated equipment, [and] logistical support."
Annan said the UN mission must be approved by Khartoum. He said the UN
would seek to convince Sudanese President Omar Bashir that the Darfour
mission must contain troops from outside Africa.
"We need to get the government to work with us in bringing in an
expanded force with troops from outside Africa, because until recently it
has maintained that it will only accept African troops," Annan said. "But I
think we have gone beyond that now."
