THE COMMANDER OF AFRICAN UNION TROOPS IN THE WESTERN DARFUR REGION OF SUDAN, NIGERIA'S ARMY GENERAL COLLINS IHIKERE, SAID MONDAY HE WAS SEEKING REINFORCEMENTS FOR THE 7,000 TROOPS WHICH WERE "GROSSLY INADEQUATE.", DPA REPORTED. "WE ARE ASKING FOR MORE TROOPS IN DARFUR IN VIEW OF THE TASKS AHEAD. LIBERIA, FOR INSTANCE, HAS 15,000 TROOPS AND THE ENTIRE COUNTRY IS NOT UP TO A QUARTER OF DARFUR," HE SAID IN ABUJA. "IF WE ARE TO COVER EVERYONE IN DARFUR, THERE MUST BE ADDITIONAL TROOPS," IHIKERE SAID. AMID FEARS OF A RESURGENCE OF VIOLENCE FROM A SPLINTER GROUP OF THE REBEL SUDAN LIBERATION MOVEMENT AND ARMY (SLMA) LED BY ABDUL WAHEED AL-NUR, IHIKERE WARNED THEM "NOT TO TRY." "IT IS IN THEIR OWN INTEREST NOT TO DO IT. IN ANY CASE, WE ARE READY TO CONTAIN SUCH DEVELOPMENT," HE SAID. THE PATH OF HONOUR FOR THE SPLINTER GROUP WAS THAT OF PEACE. "ALMOST EVERYBODY IS IN THE PEACE TRAIN, AND THE EARLIER THE SUDAN LIBERATION MOVEMENT AND ARMY FACTIONS UNITE, THE BETTER," IHIKERE SAID. IHIKERE ALSO REAFFIRMED AU TROOPS' COMMITMENT TO NEUTRALITY IN SECURING THE PEACE IN DARFUR, AND CHALLENGED LEADERS OF THE REBEL GROUPS TO PLACE THE PLIGHT OF THEIR PEOPLE ABOVE ALL. -
