UN admits Darfur troop shortfall 

September 18, 2008
BBC
Original Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7622337.stm

Only half the troops intended for a joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force for the Sudanese region of Darfur will be deployed by 2009, the UN says. 
Alain Le Roy, the new head of UN peacekeeping, said only 13,000 of the 26,000 troops authorised for the Unamid force would arrive by the end of 2008. 
Unamid took over peacekeeping duties in the war-ravaged Darfur province last January from a 7,000-strong AU force. 
It had planned to have more than 20,000 staff deployed by the start of 2009. 
But by last month it had only 8,100 troops and fewer than 2,000 police on the ground. 
In July, Unamid's commander, Nigerian Gen Martin Agwai, expressed optimism that 80% of the force could be deployed by year's end. That optimism was echoed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. 
But Mr Le Roy said: I think 80% sadly has been, as far as I know so far, a bit optimistic. 
He said the arrival of Thai and Nepalese units in Darfur had been delayed, adding that he expected an additional 3,000 troops and police to be on the ground by the end of November, primarily from Ethiopia and Egypt. 
In July, seven Unamid peacekeepers were killed and 22 injured when they were attacked by heavily armed militia in northern Darfur, prompting the UN to move its non-essential staff to locations outside the country. 
Some 300,000 people have died as a result of the conflict in Darfur since 2003, while more than two million people have fled their homes, the UN estimates. 
Sudan's government denies mobilising Arab Janjaweed militias to attack black African civilians in Darfur since rebels took up arms in 2003.