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African Union to Expand Size of Peacekeeping Force in Darfur

United States Department of State (Washington, DC)
PRESS RELEASE
April 29, 2005
Posted to the web May 2, 2005

Statement by Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
African Union to Expand Peacekeeping Mission in Sudan
The United States welcomes the African Union's April 28 decision to increase
the size of its Darfur peacekeeping force. The current 3,320 African Union
troops will expand to more than 7,700. The United States supports the African
Union's consultations with NATO on potential logistical assistance, and calls
on all African Union member states to provide additional forces to Darfur
quickly.
We view the African Union as playing a central role in resolving the crisis in
Darfur and applaud its commitment to the security and humanitarian needs of the
people of this region. The United States has already contributed more that $95
million to support the African Union mission so far, and looks forward to
supporting the expanded mission. The United States will continue to work with
the African Union and the rest of the international community to support
efforts to resolve the crisis in Darfur.

   

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