African Union 'could help disarm Sudan'

An African Union force in Sudan’s western Darfur region could help disarm insurgents and pro-government militias accused of killing civilians, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said before the start of AU-sponsored peace talks today between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels.

More than 150 AU troops from Rwanda are in Darfur protecting some 80 union monitors observing a largely ignored cease-fire, and another 150 soldiers from Nigeria are expected to arrive in coming weeks.

While the troops’ mandate does not spell out how far they can go to protect targeted civilians, Obasanjo, the current AU chairman, said yesterday that the soldiers and Sudanese government “must work together to garrison the rebels and put them somewhere where their arms can be collected”.

“While that is happening, the government of Sudan must weigh heavily” on Arab militia known as the Janjaweed to disarm, Obasanjo said in an interview broadcast on state television. “The Janjaweed have been … armed by the government.”

Khartoum has repeatedly denied it is supporting the Janjaweed, but the UN said on Friday that the Sudanese government has acknowledged they have “control” over some Janjaweed fighters in the region.

Darfur’s troubles stem from long-standing tensions between nomadic Arab tribes and their African farming neighbours over dwindling water and agricultural land.

Those tensions exploded into violence in February 2003 when two African rebel groups took up arms over what they regard as unjust treatment by the government in their struggle with Arab countrymen.

The Janjaweed’s actions – which have killed tens of thousands and caused the expulsion of perhaps a million – amount to a massive retaliation.

Despite Obasanjo’s offer to help disarm the rebels, it was not clear what impact a few hundred AU troops could have in Darfur, a region roughly the size of Iraq.

The AU has offered to send nearly 2,000 peacekeepers to Darfur. But the Sudanese government – which has pledged to forcefully resist any Western intervention – has not yet approved of the idea of African peacekeepers restoring order to Darfur.

Meanwhile, in a goodwill gesture on the eve of the talks, Sudan’s government has said it will cut the number of paramilitary forces operating in Darfur by 30% in a bid to ease tensions.

UN spokesperson Radhia Achouri welcomed the move: “It is a positive step because these forces are one of the reasons of concern for us because they are armed and have been involved in the violent actions we want to stop,” Achouri said in Egypt.

It is unclear how many paramilitary forces operate in Darfur, but they are believed to outnumber the more than 60,000 army and police personnel stationed throughout the region. Haroon said further reductions will occur if rebel forces adhere to the cease-fire.