African Union to extend Darfur peacekeeping mission

The African Union will extend the mandate of peacekeeping forces in Darfur to the end of the year, ensuring that international troops remain in the war-torn Sudanese province for now.

The United Nations will provide material and logistic support to the mission, though Sudan is still resisting demands that the UN take over the mission from the AU, said Burkina Faso’s President Blaise Compaore, head of the AU Peace and Security Council.

The decision was made last night in a meeting of the AU body also attended by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.

When al-Bashir left about halfway through, he decline to comment other than to shout “No!” when a reporter asked if he would allow the UN to take control of the peacekeepers.

An underfunded African Union force in Darfur has been largely unable to stop the violence in Darfur.

Both the AU and the UN Security Council have called for the UN, with its deeper pockets and better resources, to run the mission.

For now, the AU mission will be reinforced and infused with UN support with logistics and material, Compaore said.

“Sudan is disposed to work with the United Nations,” he said.