African Union extension of Darfur forces praised
Sudan-Egypt, Politics, 7/5/2006

Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul -Gheit lauded the 7th African Union summit which wound up Sunday in the Gambian capital Banjul and said the summit witnessed enlightened and profound debates.

On Darfur, he said it is one of the heated issues on the African arena, asserting the importance of the decision reached by African leaders on the extension of the mandate of the African Union force in Darfur till the end of this year instead of the end of September.

The decision was the fruit of several talks held on the sidelines of the summit between Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, he said.

He reiterated Egypt's belief in the need to seek the approval of the hosting country of peacekeeping troops in order to guarantee a secure and systematic transfer of the AU's peacekeeping mission to the UN, if there is going to be any.

African Union leaders agreed to extend the mandate of the 7,000-strong force, which had been due to expire on 30 September.

Meantime, a senior United Nations envoy warned today that continued militia attacks on internally displaced persons were affecting implementation of the peace agreement agreed in May.

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Sudan Jan Pronk did highlight recent official efforts to disarm the Janjaweed militia in the region. "While welcoming the recent announcement by the Sudanese Government to present a plan for the disarmament of the Janjaweed militiamen in Darfur, Mr. Pronk warned that continued militia attacks on internally displaced persons in Darfur were hampering implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement," a UN spokesperson said in New York. A UN report spoke about "disarming the Janjaweed, improving civilian protection and strengthening ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanisms are absolute priorities."

Another "serious concern" he highlights is that the "work of United Nations agencies and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) continues to be hindered by banditry targeting humanitarian personnel and assets."

Previous Stories:
  Sudan, Chad presidents meet, thank Qathafi   (7/3/2006)
  Annan talks to Bahir on Darfur   (7/3/2006)
  African troops to leave Sudan without agreement   (7/1/2006)
  Mubarak receives message from Bashir on Darfur   (6/12/2006)
  UN says it is sending mission to Sudan   (6/3/2006)
  Awwad on Egypt's role in Darfur   (5/8/2006)

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