SA urges Sudan to accept UN force in Darfur

The Sudanese government must be convinced to accept the deployment of a United Nations force in its war-torn western region of Darfur, South Africa said on Thursday.

"All efforts must continue to be made to try to convince the government of Sudan that it is in the interests of everybody that we blue-hat the African Union forces," Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad told reporters in Cape Town.

"A major contingent can be Africa, but without it becoming a UN force we believe that the necessary support and even the technological assistance will not be forthcoming."

Pahad said few countries would be willing to commit troops to a UN force that did not have the Sudanese government's consent, "because that would mean, as some groups had warned, that they will then declare war against the UN forces that are there". Read more >>>