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Sudanese accept presence of hybrid African-UN force

Sudan yesterday accepted the deployment of a hybrid African Union (AU)-UN force to its war-ravaged region of Darfur, according to a joint statement by the AU, the UN and Sudan released in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

The joint statement said that the Sudanese government had "accepted the joint proposals of the hybrid operation" after obtaining explanations and clarifications from the two international bodies.

Delegates at the three-way talks in the Ethiopian capital "agreed on the need for an immediate, comprehensible ceasefire accompanied by an inclusive political process," said the statement, which was read out by AU Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit.

"The proposed operation would contribute considerably to the stabilisation of the situation in Darfur, in its political, humanitarian and security dimensions," he said.

Khartoum had previously rejected attempts to send UN peacekeepers to Darfur.

The country has suffered a four-year conflict that has killed at least 200,000 people and forced more than 2 million from their homes, according to figures provided by the UN.

Sudan contests the figures, saying that 9,000 people have died since the war erupted in early 2003 when ethnic minority rebels rose up against the Khartoum government, which then enlisted the Janjaweed militia group to help crush the rebellion.

There are currently around 7,000 AU peacekeepers in the region, but they have been unable to stem the clashes in a region the size of France owing to a severe lack of funding and equipment.

Khartoum reached a peace agreement with Darfur rebels on May 5, 2006, in Nigeria.

But only one of three negotiating rebel factions endorsed the deal and violence has spiraled ever since.

The violence, which has hindered effective humanitarian operations, and the fragmentation of the Darfur rebels have scuppered efforts to stabilize the region.
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