EL FASHER, SUDAN — The Nigerian commander of African Union troops said he feared for the future of a new peacekeeping force, but assured former President Carter and other statesmen Tuesday that the deaths of 10 comrades would not weaken his country’s commitment to Darfur.
Gen. Martin Agwai told the group the proposed force of AU and U.N. troops still lacked equipment, and even by January would have less than a third of the troops promised.
“Our president called me and assured me he understood our plan and would continue to support us,” Agwai said, drawing applause from the delegates visiting El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province.
Over the weekend, rebels overran an African peacekeeping base in northern Darfur, killing 10 – the deadliest attack on the force since it arrived in the region three years ago. Nigerian forces suffered the greatest losses in the assault, which drew condemnation Tuesday from the U.N. Security Council.
Nigerian’s commitment is crucial because under the compromise reached between the United Nations and Khartoum’s government, the majority of the new 26,000-strong joint force must be predominantly African.
The delegation led by Carter and Desmond Tutu is trying to use its influence at a crucial time – with peace talks due to start in Libya and deployment of the hybrid force to begin later this month.
Agwai said there would be at most 8,000 troops in Darfur by January – only 1,000 more than the current force: “Facing the reality, how many African countries can provide troops that can fully sustain themselves here?”
The joint force is planned to replace on Jan. 1 the 7,000- member African Union mission that has struggled since it began in 2004, too understaffed and under-equipped to ensure peace in the vast desert region of western Sudan. Violence has only increased. Some rebels resent the peacekeepers, accusing them of doing little to protect refugees.
More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven out of their homes in four years of violence.
