The Nigerian commander of African Union troops assured a group of elder statesmen on Tuesday that his country would not pull out following the killing of 10 peacekeepers in North Darfur, according to AP. Gen. Martin Agwai also told the group, which includes former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu, that a proposed hybrid force made up of A.U. and U.N. troops still lacked the commitment of forces and equipment needed to make it effective. Agwai said he spoke with Nigeria's president on Tuesday and received assurances of his country's commitment. «Our president called me and assured me he understood our plan and would continue to support us,» Agwai said, drawing applause from the delegates visiting El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province. Nigerian's commitment is crucial because under the compromise deal reached between the United nations and Khartoum's government, the majority of the new 26,000-strong hybrid U.N and A.U. force must be predominantly African. The delegation of prominent international personalities is trying to use their influence at a crucial time _ with peace talks due to start in Libya and deployment of the hybrid force to begin later this month. Called «the elders,» the delegation is headed by Carter and Tutu and also includes billionaire Richard Branson; Graca Michel, wife of former South African Nelson Mandela; and several prominent former statesmen from Africa. Their visit comes days after a stunning attack in which rebels overran an African peacekeepers base in northern Darfur, killing 10 _ the deadliest attack on the force since it arrived in the region three years ago. Along with A.U.-U.N. mission chief Rodolphe Adada, the Nigerian general said the mission still lacked much of the crucial equipment it would need. Only one country, Jordan, has so far committed some of the crucial aircraft needed for the mission to operate, Agwai told the delegates. Agwai said that at best there would be 8,000 troops on the ground by January _ only 1,000 more than the current force, and far short of the 26,000. «Facing the reality, how many African countries can provide troops that can fully sustain themselves here?» he asked, hinting there were not many. The hybrid force is planned to replace the 7,000-member African Union mission that has struggled since it began, too understaffed and under-equipped to ensure peace in the vast desert region of western Sudan. Violence has only increased. Some rebels resent the peacekeepers, accusing them of doing little to protect refugees. Agwai also deplored the fact that «there are offers we can't accept,» alluding to the Sudanese government's resistance to any non-African intervention in Darfur. «It has been easier (to deploy a UN mission) in Liberia and Sierra Leone, because those were failed states. Whereas here is a fully functioning and operational state.» Carter said that «this is one of the worst descriptions of conditions for a military operation that I have ever heard.» Their visit by the elders is largely a symbolic move by a host of respected figures to push all sides to make peace in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven out of their homes in four years of violence. The group visited a U.N. aid compound located next to the sprawling Abu-Shok and Es-Sallam camps where 150,000 refugees who fled Darfur's violence are living. «We hope that you can contribute to put an end to this crazy way,» said a nazer, a traditional leader among a group of about 30 men and women who came from the refugee camps to meet the Elders. «We certainly hope that everybody will continue to talk to each other, including the rebels,» Carter told a group of Darfur civil society workers. Earlier, the Elders met with the North Darfur governor, Youssouf Kabir, who insisted the security situation in the province is «stable and good.» Despite his assurances, the province has seen considerable turmoil recently. Government forces have been waging a fierce offensive against rebels in North Darfur for the past two weeks. On Saturday night, amid the fighting, a force of 1,000 rebels overran a base of U.N. peacekeepers at Haskanita in North Darfur. In a battle that lasted into the early hours Sunday, the rebels killed 10 peacekeepers, looted the base then escaped when Sudanese troops moved in. On Wednesday, Tutu planned to lead one group of delegates to the Otash refugee camp in southern Darfur, while Carter will visit Kabkabiya, a highly volatile zone that has long been the stronghold of the pro-government janjaweed militia. Darfur is scene of the world's largest humanitarian effort, trying to feed those hit by the turmoil. The conflict pits the Sudanese military against ethnic African rebels who rose up against discrimination by the Arab-dominated government. To help put down the rebellion, Khartoum is accused of unleashing Arab janjaweed militias who have burned hundreds of ethnic African villages, killing and raping civilians.
