Global Policy Forum

By Duncan Woodside

After several days of delays, African Union (AU) peacekeepers began making their way to western Sudan's troubled Darfur province yesterday, amid mounting concern about the country's cease-fire agreement, with rebels accusing the government of launching fresh bombing raids this week. An advance party of 47 Nigerian troops was transported by US army planes from Abuja. Alongside the European Union , the US is providing logistical assistance for a newly agreed AU deployment, which should total about 3000 peacekeepers, substantially increasing the current size of the operation from just more than 300. The airlift had been due to begin with Rwandan peacekeepers but transportation of this contingent is now not expected to begin until tomorrow . Rwanda and Nigeria have taken a lead role in the AU's Darfur mission, as troops from these countries comprised the original deployment a couple of months ago.

However, key questions about the expanded operation remain unresolved. Most notably, while there have been calls for the mission to extend its mandate from providing security for observers to protecting civilians it is not clear if this will transpire. The AU is now calling upon peacekeepers to protect civilians under threat in their "immediate vicinity". The Nigerian army appears to favour a limited mandate, but Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has advocated a more active role for AU personnel.

Meanwhile, although peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebel organisations recommenced in the Nigerian capital this week, there seems little prospect of progress. The rebel Sudan Liberation Army accused the government of launching bombing raids at Allaiat, in eastern Darfur, this week, which they said resulted in the death of 26 people. Both that group and the Justice and Equality Movement the other main rebel group operating in Darfur have expressed pessimism about the talks, with a spokesman for the former saying they "will not go well", and the latter asserting that "the government has not shown any sign of good intentions". African Union mediators in the Darfur crisis decided yesterday to delay a plenary session of planned peace talks between rebels and the Khartoum government.

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