Rwandan Forces Arrive in Sudan

Dozens of Rwandan soldiers arrived in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region Sunday, the first foreign armed force deployed in the area since Arab militiamen began a rampage against black farmers, killing thousands.

The Rwandan troops’ mandate is to protect unarmed military observers monitoring a cease-fire reached in April that humanitarian groups say has largely been ignored by the militiamen.

The Rwandans make up about half of a planned 300-member African Union protection force that Sudan was pressured to allow into its western region of Darfur. About 30,000 people have been killed there, more than a million have been forced from their homes, and about 2.2 million are in urgent need of aid, according to the United Nations, which has called Darfur the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Although Rwandan President Paul Kagame has said his country’s troops would use force if necessary to protect civilians, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail made clear that such action would not be acceptable. Speaking in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, Ismail said his government would object if African Union troops engaged in fighting with the Arab militiamen, known as janjaweed.

“The government reservations are not against the African Union troops, but on their being transformed into fully fledged forces, carrying weapons to confront the rebel elements. This will complicate things further,” Ismail said.

The Sudanese government has been accused of backing the janjaweed to counter black rebel groups, a charge Khartoum denies. Two weeks ago, the U.N. gave Sudan 30 days to disarm the militiamen.