First batch of infantry troops from Burkina Faso join African-UN force in Darfur

The first infantry soldiers from Burkina Faso arrived today in Darfur to serve with the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission to the troubled Sudanese region, as more blue helmets from three other countries prepare to join the force soon as well.

An advance party of 134 soldiers arrived in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, with another 133 scheduled to arrive next Tuesday, according to the mission (known as UNAMID). The remaining members of the infantry battalion – totalling more than 800 soldiers – are expected to be deployed by mid-September in El Geneina and Foro Baranga in West Darfur state.

Today’s arrival means UNAMID now has 13,651 military personnel deployed across the region, or nearly 70 per cent of the authorized number of staff under the 2007 Security Council resolution setting up the force.

The mission also reported today that more troops from Ethiopia, Tanzania and Egypt are expected to be deployed in Darfur later this month, further boosting its strength.

The Security Council authorized the deployment of UNAMID to try to quell fighting and protect civilians in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 have been killed and some 2.7 million others displaced from their homes since fighting erupted in 2003, pitting Government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen against rebel groups.