http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/world.aspx?ID=BD4A262004

Yes, the glorious United Nations is sending a "Peacekeeping Force" to Darfur. This would be funny if it were not so tragic.

Posted to the web on: 01 September 2006

UN approves Darfur peace force

Evelyn Leopold

Reuters [your comedy news service]

NEW YORK — The United Nations (UN) Security Council yesterday voted to create a UN peacekeeping force in Sudan’s Darfur region despite Khartoum’s strong opposition.

The vote was 12 in favour, with abstentions by Russia, China and Qatar, the only Arab council member.

But the troops will not be deployed until Sudan agrees. The UN wants to replace or absorb an African Union (AU) force in Darfur, which has only enough money to exist until its mandate expires on September 30 and has failed to end the crisis in the west of the country, which the US has called “genocide”.

The resolution calls for up to 22500 UN troops and police officers and an immediate injection of air, engineering and communications support for the 7000-member African force.

Drafted by Britain and the US, the measure is designed to allow planning and recruitment of troops for an eventual handover.

“While it is preferable to have unanimity, we are not going to sacrifice the need to take a stronger hand to try and stop the genocide just because we can’t get unanimity,” US ambassador to the UN John Bolton said.

Earlier this week, a top UN official warned the security council that Darfur was on the brink of a fresh humanitarian disaster threatening massive loss of life.

Since the signing of a fragile peace pact in May between the government and two rebel groups, fighting has only increased. The Sudanese military plans to move 10500 troops to Darfur to face rebels who have refused to sign, raising fears of a full-scale war.