Rice urges speedy African Union deployment in Darfur

DAKAR – US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the African Union on Tuesday to cut through any bureaucratic or political obstacles and speed its deployment of troops to Sudan’s war-ravaged region of Darfur.

Rice also welcomed formation of a unity government in Sudan as a “positive development” but stayed prudent on a lifting of US sanctions or the return of a US ambassador to Khartoum after eight years’ absence. On her first African trip as chief US diplomat, Rice signalled some concern over the progress of the AU’s plans to more than double its Darfur monitoring force to more than 7 700 by September.”We believe this ought to be an AU mission, Rice told reporters on her plane en route from Washington.”But we also believe the AU has to move.And it cannot get caught up in any bureaucratic or political concerns.”An estimated 180 000 to 300 000 people have died in Darfur, with some 2,6 million civilians left homeless, since February 2003 when fighting erupted between rebels and government forces backed by local militia.Rice was due to travel to Darfur , in western Sudan, today to get a first-hand look at what the United States has branded genocide and the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.- Nampa-AFPOn her first African trip as chief US diplomat, Rice signalled some concern over the progress of the AU’s plans to more than double its Darfur monitoring force to more than 7 700 by September.”We believe this ought to be an AU mission, Rice told reporters on her plane en route from Washington.”But we also believe the AU has to move.And it cannot get caught up in any bureaucratic or political concerns.”An estimated 180 000 to 300 000 people have died in Darfur, with some 2,6 million civilians left homeless, since February 2003 when fighting erupted between rebels and government forces backed by local militia.Rice was due to travel to Darfur , in western Sudan, today to get a first-hand look at what the United States has branded genocide and the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.- Nampa-AFP