Norway, Sweden in new territory with Darfur force

STOCKHOLM - If accepted, the 400 Norwegian and Swedish army engineers offered for peacekeeping in Darfur will be far the largest Western contingent -- a bold step from Nordic countries unused to fighting overseas.

The attack on the African Union force in Sudan's west at the end of September that killed 10 peacekeepers was the worst on outside forces in Darfur, and was a reminder of the risks a new 26,000-troop hybrid AU and United Nations force will face.

Officials say the mainly Nigerian outpost was attacked by fighters the United Nations said were reported to be from a splinter group of one of Darfur's already fractured rebel movements. Some rebels blamed Sudan's government.

"I think the Swedish people have an overly romantic view of peacekeeping," said Jan Winter, an experienced correspondent and former foreign desk head for Swedish national newswire TT. "They don't realise that peacekeepers can be hated and attacked."

An al Qaeda leader has called for an Iraq-style insurgency against the peacekeepers, stretched across an area the size of France.

They will try to stem violence, protect aid workers and allow the return of 2.5 million displaced Darfuris.

International experts say more than 200,000 people have died since mainly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government.

The United States accuses Sudan of genocide conducted by government backed militia. Sudan says the Western world has exaggerated the crisis and only 9,000 are dead.

Western governments including the United States, Britain and France have pushed hard for a more powerful Darfur force. But only Sweden and Norway have made significant troop offers, although others have offered staff officers.

It is still not entirely clear if the 150 Swedish and 250 Norwegian soldiers will actually go. The African Union and Sudan have yet to accept their offer.


STANDING OUT

The engineer battalion is meant to specialise in construction tasks such as new bases and roads. But the more than dozen Finnish-built armoured vehicles will be among the most sophisticated in Darfur.

A unit of Norwegian engineers has been rejected by Khartoum, U.N. sources said. This shows that it will be a difficult process getting a competent force on the ground for this joint mission, analysts said. Khartoum does not have a veto over troops but it can refuse visas, or hold up their equipment.

Battalion commander Norwegian Lieutenant Colonel Anstein Aasen told Reuters last week he would order his troops into position to protect civilians in danger if necessary, although most fighting, if it occurs, will be down to African infantry mainly travelling in land cruisers.

As Norwegians and Swedes in Africa he said he knew they would stand out.

"We hear some reports that people say we are crusaders and should be attacked," he said. "It could be a realistic threat. It depends on how strong al Qaeda is in the area. We hear they are not so strong."

Asked if his troops, who could be on the ground as soon as November if accepted, were ready to face the kind of attack the AU suffered last weekend, he said: "I hope so".

Both Norway and Sweden have sent troops on peacekeeping missions to the Balkans and have forces in Afghanistan -- although in a more stable north rather than the battlefields of Helmand.

Sweden in particular has aimed to remain neutral.

"We have been lucky so far but the politicians are aware of the risks," Norway's Aasen said.

Norway's defence minister said the attack on the African Union troops was a reminder of the risks but also of the importance of swiftly deploying the hybrid force.

"One cannot calculate when it comes to body bags," Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen told Reuters. "But it will be risky and we have to be prepared for that. We cannot guarantee that this will not happen to us."

Norway still wants assurances that the hybrid force has enough helicopters to offer 24-hour medical evacuation if necessary. Currently, it does not.

Even if that issue is resolved, the small contingent -- which will carry supplies to be self-sufficient for six months -- will have little support from other developed world troops.

A much better resourced European Union force, also including Swedes, will be peacekeeping in neighbouring Chad and Central African Republic, but will not be authorised to enter Darfur.

"If something goes wrong, I don't think we're going to be able to get them out," said a Swedish security analyst. "I think we could take some bodies coming back but if they come back week after week support will fall away very fast."