afrol News, 31 March - The Egyptian government has sent 100 troops from its second Infantry Battalion to the war torn Darfur region to boost the strength of joint United Nations-African Union Mission in the region. Another batch of 100 troops is expected before the end of the week.

According to the UN statement, the arrival of troops coincides with a Tripartite Committee meeting of the Khartoum government, the AU and the UN scheduled to take place for the first time in Darfur.

The Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Susana Malcorra, is expected to attend the meeting in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which will examine ways to facilitate and expedite deployment of the AU-UN peacekeeping operation in the region.

The force was set up by the Security Council to protect civilians in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in 2003, pitting rebels against government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen.

The UNAMID that took over from the 7,000-strong AU force in January 2008, is now well over 12,000 military personnel. However the number is far less than the expected 19,555 authorised by the Security Council for Darfur.

The Darfur conflict began in early 2003 when ethnic African rebels took up arms against Sudan's Arab-dominated central government, accusing it of discrimination. Many of worst atrocities in war have been blamed on Janjaweed militia of Arab nomads allied with government.

UN reports show that some 300,000 people have died as a result of unrest, while more than two million people have fled their homes.

Sudanese government has reportedly denied mobilising Arab Janjaweed militias to attack black African civilians in the region.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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