US Wants More UN Troops in Darfur

[unhappycamper]

US Wants More UN Troops in Darfur
April 02, 2008
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS - The United States has urged the United Nations to get 3,600 new peacekeepers on the ground in conflict-wracked Darfur by June, according to a letter obtained April 1 by The Associated Press.

Ambassador Richard Williamson, the U.S. special envoy to Sudan, told Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the letter that additional troops are the best hope of increasing security in the Sudanese region.

A joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force took over in January from a beleaguered AU force to try to stem the violence. But it only has about 9,000 troops and police on the ground, out of a total of 26,000 that have been authorized.

"We believe that the deployment of 3,600 new African troops by June - a target number based on the U.N.'s planning schedule - will bring increased security and stability to the people of Darfur," Williamson wrote.

"At this crucial moment, the deployment of new troops as quickly as possible is our best hope to change the course of this tragedy."


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/us-wants-more-un-troops-in-darfur.html?col=1186032310810

[SteinbachMB]

1. So soon???

Why not wait and see how this plays out?