Update: Bashir Will Not Accept Non-African Troops

In diplomacy - As reported by Reuters Africa, Sudanese President al-Bashir stated Friday that he will not accept non-African troops in the combined UN-AU peacekeeping forces, apart from the Chinese and Pakistani technical units already committed.  He insisted that the incoming peacekeepers would have to be led by an African wearing an AU helmet.  Bashir’s statement is the strongest public announcement yet of Sudan’s resistance to outside involvement in Darfur.

According to the UN News Service, mediators from the UN and the AU just wrapped up a two day visit to north Darfur.  There, they held a meeting with leaders of the Sudan Liberation Army-Unity, during which they commended the SLA-Unity for their unification efforts and encouraged them to engage in the peace process.

On the ground - 130 Chinese engineers and medical officers arrived in the south Darfur city of Nyala today to aid preparations for the 26,000-strong UN-AU hybrid peacekeeping force.  The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), one of Darfur’s largest rebel groups, is demanding that China pull out its peacekeepers.  JEM says it will not allow the newly arrived Chinese onto land it controls, accusing Beijing of supporting the Khartoum regime and fueling the Darfur crisis (from Al Jazeera).

In the activist movement - The ENOUGH project has released a new paper that lays out strategies to salvage the Darfur peace talks that began last month in Sirte, Libya.  Check it out here.