Sudanese protest against Darfur troops plan

TENS of thousands of Sudanese yesterday marched on the UN headquarters in Khartoum in protest at the possibility of Western military intervention to deal with a humanitarian crisis in the western region of Darfur.

In Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, a spokesman for the African Union (AU) said the organisation may boost the number of troops to be deployed in Darfur to 2,000 from 300, subject to the move being approved at a meeting of its members.

Protesters, many from organised pro-government groups but including many ordinary citizens, carried anti-American banners and chanted slogans attacking UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his close alignment with US policy.