Reuters
By Evelyn Leopold
UNITED NATIONS, April 28 (Reuters) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan suggested that Africa Union troops in Sudan's Darfur region could become part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission or be augmented with a multinational force, according to a draft report obtained by Reuters on Thursday.
Annan, in presenting options to the U.N. Security Council, said any change in the mission would need to be decided by the council, Sudan and the African Union, now the main bulwark against atrocities in Darfur.
The AU has only 2,200 troops, police and observers in Darfur, a region the size of France, and expects to increase this to 7,700 by the end of September and reach 12,300 by the spring of 2006.
But diplomats predicted the AU would need much more help and planning and resources than it is now receiving so its troops on the ground could be increased and rotated.
The Darfur conflict broke out in February 2003 after rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated government, complaining of discrimination. Khartoum is accused of retaliating by arming local Arab militia, who burned down villages and slaughtered and raped civilians.
At least 180,000 people have died from violence, hunger and disease and 2 million have been driven out of their homes, most into squalid camps.
Annan said a decision should be taken by September 2005 on how to augment the AU force either by "re-hatting" the African troops as a U.N. peacekeeping mission or seeking a multinational force should violence continue.
But he gave no details of a what kind of a force may be needed and one European envoy said there would be "no European boots" on the ground.
Annan said attacks on civilians no longer occurred on a "massive scale" as last year, although violence continued, such as the brutal attack on the village of Khor Abeche in southern Darfur on April 7. Arab militia, called Janjaweed killed at least 30 people, looted and burned down the village.
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