The first phase of 800 Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) peacekeepers will fly out today to the conflict-torn Darfur region of Sudan as part of the UN-African Union mission.
They will be airlifted by the US Airforce.

"The 800-strong battalion backed by a heavy military package will be deployed in Sector One, El Fasher,” Military Spokesman Maj. Jill Rutaremara, said yesterday.

The hybrid UN-AU mission, which is due to commence in January, 2008, will be more equipped as opposed to the AU peacekeeping mission, which is currently being phased out.

Rutaremara said that the departing force will go with heavy equipments including 18 APCs (Armed Personnel Carriers).

The troops are among the first to be airlifted to Darfur under the auspices of the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (Unamid), which will be formed by a 26,000-strong force.

Already the commanders of the hybrid force are in Darfur. Nigerian General Martin Luther Agwai is the Unamid’s commander while Rwanda’s Major General Karenzi Karake is the deputy commander.

In June, the Sudanese government accepted the proposal for a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping operation.

Meanwhile, the rotation of the last batch of Rwandan AU peacekeepers in Darfur has ended with 196 troops flew to the region yesterday aboard US’ AMC Charleston 60006.

Another 484 had already been airlifted to Darfur since Saturday.

The soldiers from the RDF’s 51st battalion are replacing other Rwandan peacekeepers forming Battalion One in Sector One, El-Fasher, Darfur.

Maj. Rutaremara said that the last batch of their predecessors was flown back home yesterday by the same carrier.

Rwanda has close to 2,000 peacekeepers Darfur forming part of the estimated 7000-strong AU force in the troubled region where about 200,000 people have died and another 2.5 million left homeless since 2003.

But as the AU mission is being phased out, the AU peacekeepers are set to be upgraded to the AU-UN hybrid force.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported yesterday that a prominent Darfur rebel figure and five other smaller factions will not attend peace talks due to start this weekend in Libya, leaders said on Tuesday, casting doubt on prospects for a settlement.

Ahmed Abdel Shafie told reporters at a Darfur rebel meeting in south Sudan’s capital Juba that AU and UN mediators had not heeded rebel requests for a delay to allow them to form a united position and agree on a delegation.

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