Sudan agreed on Tuesday to a combined United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force of more than 20,000 troops and police to be deployed in its troubled Darfur region after months of intense diplomacy.
AU Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit said Khartoum agreed to a hybrid, compromise force of between 17,000 and 19,000 troops and an additional 3,700 police. "The government of Sudan accepted the joint proposal on the hybrid operation," Djinnit said, reading a statement after two days of meetings in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. The deal follows months of talks, threats and negotiations to persuade Khartoum to accept an effective peacekeeping force in remote Darfur which has been beset by four years of violence. |