Sudan Agrees UN Peacekeeping Force for Darfur

|PIC1|Sudan has given permission to the United Nations to reinforce the African Union forces that have been struggling to keep the peace in Darfur. The landmark deal was struck on Monday, and also accepted UN attack helicopters as part of the plans.

The latest deal will see 3,000 UN personnel deployed to the region to support the AU forces, which currently stand at 7,000 personnel but which remain ill-equipped to bring a halt to the four-year war.

Although the new support package is a welcome breakthrough, it did not go as far as hoped, with proposals to bring in a larger force of more than 20,000 troops and police being rejected by Sudan.

Diplomats have touted that the new agreements could delay sanctions being imposed on Sudan from Britain and the US, but this will depend on Khartoum's continued cooperation with the UN as well as developments in Darfur.

UN helicopters had been the origin of disagreements between the UN and Sudan, with Khartoum fearing that UN attack helicopters could be used for offensive purposes. However, following repeated assurances from the UN that the helicopters would only be used to protect peacekeepers, Sudan officially accepted the inclusion of the helicopters on Monday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Khartoum's announcement as "a very positive sign".

Jean-Marie Guehenno, the head of UN peacekeeping, said the new package of 3,000 UN military personnel for command headquarters, air support and logistics, was only a prelude to a larger force.

"This is not the robust force that Darfur needs. It's a support package to lay the groundwork for a future robust force," Guehenno told reporters.

Since war broke out in Darfur more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million forced to flee their homes, many to arid camps.

Fighting began four years ago between the Arab-dominated government and the militia who support them on one side, and African rebels on the other.