- The Egyptian government has sent 100 troops from its second Infantry Battalion to the war torn Darfur region to boost the strength of joint United Nations-African Union Mission in the region. Another batch of 100 troops is expected before the end of the week.
According to the UN statement, the arrival of troops coincides with a Tripartite Committee meeting of the Khartoum government, the AU and the UN scheduled to take place for the first time in Darfur.
The Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Susana Malcorra, is expected to attend the meeting in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which will examine ways to facilitate and expedite deployment of the AU-UN peacekeeping operation in the region.
The force was set up by the Security Council to protect civilians in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in 2003, pitting rebels against government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen.
The UNAMID that took over from the 7,000-strong AU force in January 2008, is now well over 12,000 military personnel. However the number is far less than the expected 19,555 authorised by the Security Council for Darfur.
The Darfur conflict began in early 2003 when ethnic African rebels took up arms against Sudan's Arab-dominated central government, accusing it of discrimination. Many of worst atrocities in war have been blamed on Janjaweed militia of Arab nomads allied with government.
UN reports show that some 300,000 people have died as a result of unrest, while more than two million people have fled their homes.
Sudanese government has reportedly denied mobilising Arab Janjaweed militias to attack black African civilians in the region.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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