The United States pledged an additional US$50 million (¤39.8 million) to fund the African Union peacekeeping operation in Darfur on Thursday, at a conference of international donors meeting to discuss the situation in western Sudan. The U.S. State Department's senior representative on Sudan, Charles Snyder, said the money was in addition to US$95 million (¤75.61 million) already pledged to help end what he called "acts of genocide." The AU has 2,200 troops in western Sudan attempting to stop fighting between rebels and Arab militias, but has plans to increase that number to more than 8,000. The African Union has asked for US$723 million (¤576 million) to help finance and equip the Darfur operation, The Associated Press reported.
