Nigerian protection force heads for Darfur

ABUJA – An elite contingent of 50 Nigerian soldiers left Nigeria yesterday for Darfur, the first stage in the deployment of 3 000 extra African Union (AU) troops to monitor a shaky ceasefire in the western Sudanese region.

The reinforcements, flown in on a US military transport plane, will bolster a force of 300 AU soldiers protecting 150 observers already in the vast desert region where 1,5 million civilians have been driven from their homes by violence. “The AU decided to send an elite contingent of Nigerian troops into Darfur first and that is who we are taking today.There are about 50 troops,” said Lieutenant Colonel John Reid, US Air Force mission commander, shortly before take-off from an airstrip in the Nigerian capital.Nigeria expects to deploy another 350 troops over the next few weeks, bringing its total deployment to a battalion of 550.Rwanda and other AU members are expected to lift the total strength to about 3 000.There were 18 American crew members on Thursday’s flight, who will return to Rwanda later on Thursday ahead of an expected airlift from that country on Saturday, the US military said.Human rights groups have called on the 53-member African Union to use the soldiers to protect civilians who have taken refuge in makeshift camps dotted along the Sudanese border with Chad, in fear of attacks by horse-riding Arab militia known as the Janjaweed who have driven them from their homes.But the AU has given them a specific mandate to protect ceasefire monitors and safeguard civilians only if they are under imminent threat.”The mission of the troops is a protection force to protect observers in Darfur.Our job is to restore peace,” said Nigerian Lieutenant Colonel Rabiu Abubakar.The Sudanese government has reluctantly agreed to the foreign troop presence under threat of possible oil sanctions from the United Nations.It suspects the West of siding with the rebels in the 20-month-old conflict.- Nampa-Reuters”The AU decided to send an elite contingent of Nigerian troops into Darfur first and that is who we are taking today.There are about 50 troops,” said Lieutenant Colonel John Reid, US Air Force mission commander, shortly before take-off from an airstrip in the Nigerian capital.Nigeria expects to deploy another 350 troops over the next few weeks, bringing its total deployment to a battalion of 550.Rwanda and other AU members are expected to lift the total strength to about 3 000.There were 18 American crew members on Thursday’s flight, who will return to Rwanda later on Thursday ahead of an expected airlift from that country on Saturday, the US military said.Human rights groups have called on the 53-member African Union to use the soldiers to protect civilians who have taken refuge in makeshift camps dotted along the Sudanese border with Chad, in fear of attacks by horse-riding Arab militia known as the Janjaweed who have driven them from their homes.But the AU has given them a specific mandate to protect ceasefire monitors and safeguard civilians only if they are under imminent threat.”The mission of the troops is a protection force to protect observers in Darfur.Our job is to restore peace,” said Nigerian Lieutenant Colonel Rabiu Abubakar.The Sudanese government has reluctantly agreed to the foreign troop presence under threat of possible oil sanctions from the United Nations.It suspects the West of siding with the rebels in the 20-month-old conflict.- Nampa-Reuters