Sudan Accepts Hybrid Peace-Keeping Force

Sudan has agreed to allow a hybrid force comprised of African Union and United Nations personnel into the country.

As many as 19,000 UN and AU troops can now be deployed into the Darfur region. Delegates from Sudan "agreed on the need for an immediate, comprehensible ceasefire accompanied by an inclusive political process."

The Sudanese president had agreed to the proposed heavy support package in November, but was apprehensive with regard to the execution of previous stages of the plan. He initially insisted that the force be made up of only African troops.

The UN Security Council as well as the AU Peace and Security Council still must give final approval to the operation.

This comes two and a half weeks after the US imposed the first new sanctions on Sudan since 1997, the purpose of which US Ambassador to Sudan Andrew Natsios said "is not sanctions." Natsios has denied the existence of genocide in Darfur as late as April of this year.

The UN Secretary General has called the crisis in Darfur the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Over 200,000 have been killed and as many as 2.5 million displaced from their homes since the crisis began.