Sudan peacekeeping mission delayed until year's end: UN
January 28, 2008
ABC Online
Original Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/29/2148637.htm?section=world
The United Nations has admitted that it will be the best part of a year before an international peacekeeping force will be fully deployed in Sudan's Darfur region.
The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission to Darfur is supposed to be 26,000-strong. So far, there are only 9,000 people on the ground.
The force took over from the African Union on December 31.
Now the UN's head of peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, says the operation will not be fully deployed for the best part of 2008. Some would say even that is optimistic.
The mission is being delayed by obstacles imposed by the Sudanese Government and is still lacking 24 helicopters from the international community, which are vital to the operation.