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| Sudan accepts joint Darfur force | Sudan accepts joint Darfur force |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Sudan has agreed to a revised plan for a joint UN-African Union (AU) peacekeeping force to be sent to war-torn Darfur, AU sources say. | Sudan has agreed to a revised plan for a joint UN-African Union (AU) peacekeeping force to be sent to war-torn Darfur, AU sources say. |
| Under the new plan, the AU will run day-to-day operations, while the UN is expected to have overall control of between 17,000 to 19,000 peacekeepers. | |
| Earlier, Sudan's foreign minister said that Sudan would accept peacekeepers made up of non-African troops. | Earlier, Sudan's foreign minister said that Sudan would accept peacekeepers made up of non-African troops. |
| The current AU force of 7,000 has struggled to contain the violence. | The current AU force of 7,000 has struggled to contain the violence. |
| More than 200,000 people have died in the four-year conflict and around two million have fled to refugee camps. | More than 200,000 people have died in the four-year conflict and around two million have fled to refugee camps. |
| The AU and UN presented their revised peacekeeping plan at talks in Addis Ababa. The new plan has been created to get round the objections of the Sudanese government, which does not want a solely UN force, which it says would be like a Western invasion of their country. | The AU and UN presented their revised peacekeeping plan at talks in Addis Ababa. The new plan has been created to get round the objections of the Sudanese government, which does not want a solely UN force, which it says would be like a Western invasion of their country. |
| "In view of the explanation and clarification provided by the AU and the UN as contained in the presentation, the government of Sudan accepted the joint proposals on the hybrid operation," AP news agency quotes Said Djinnit, the AU's top peace and security official, as saying. | "In view of the explanation and clarification provided by the AU and the UN as contained in the presentation, the government of Sudan accepted the joint proposals on the hybrid operation," AP news agency quotes Said Djinnit, the AU's top peace and security official, as saying. |
| Vague | |
| The BBC's Elizabeth Blunt in Addis Ababa says the mood was cheerful at the AU headquarters after the announcement was made. | |
| Mapping the crisis | |
| A timetable for the deployment of the force was vague, she said, and will not be before next year. | |
| "This is a unique situation of a hybrid operation and we are most likely going to face some difficulties on the ground, but with the spirit of co-operation we are confident," Mr Djinnit told the BBC. | |
| "We came a long way together not only as the AU and UN but also in working with the government of Sudan. | |
| "The trust between us is precious, we believe, and if we keep that I think we can together overcome all difficulties," he said. | |
| Our correspondent says the composition of the force was not part of the agreement, but as far as possible it is expected that the force will be made of African or Asian soldiers with possible Scandanavian expertise. | |
| No US or UK soldiers are likely to make up any of the operation, she says. |