FACTBOX-Key facts about the conflict in Darfur
Oct 1 (Reuters) - Suleiman Jamous, an influential member of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) Unity faction which is one of two groups accused of the deadliest attack on African Union peacekeepers in Darfur at the weekend, said if his faction was involved it was a local decision, not ordered by the leadership.
Here are some facts about the conflict in the Darfur region.
* THE CONFLICT:
-- Rebels in Sudan's western Darfur region took up arms against the government in February 2003, saying Khartoum discriminated against non-Arab farmers and neglected the region.
-- Khartoum mobilized proxy Arab militia to help quell the revolt. Some militiamen, known locally as Janjaweed, pillaged and burned villages and killed civilians. The government has called the Janjaweed outlaws and denied supporting them.
-- Experts have estimated that at least 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes in the region since early 2003, some crossing the border into Chad, exacerbating a refugee crisis there. Sudan says 9,000 people have died.
-- The United Nations calls Darfur one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The United States says the violence in Darfur amounts to genocide.
-- Ten African Union soldiers were killed at the weekend and dozens were missing after armed men launched an assault on an AU base in Darfur. It was the worst attack on AU troops since they deployed in the violent west in 2004.
* CEASEFIRES:
-- A ceasefire was agreed in Darfur in April 2004. The African Union sent 7,000 peacekeepers with a mandate to monitor the peace and protect those displaced in the camps. The ceasefire has been violated repeatedly.
-- A peace deal in May 2006 was signed by only one of three rebel negotiating factions. It was almost immediately rejected by many in Darfur who said it did not go far enough to ensure their security. Since then rebels have splintered into a dozen factions, deepening the crisis.
-- New talks between Sudan's government and rebel groups will start on Oct. 27 in Libya to push for peace. U.N. and African Union special envoys will mediate the talks, to which some eight rebel groups are expected to be invited, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said after a three-day visit to Sudan last month.
* PEACEKEEPING FORCE FOR DARFUR:
-- The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution on July 31 for a new operation known as UNAMID, the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur.
-- It authorized for an initial period of 12 months up to 19,555 military personnel and 6,432 international police. UNAMID will absorb the 7,000 African Union troops currently in Darfur. It is expected to cost more than $2 billion in the first year.
-- The mission will operate under a "Chapter 7" mandate on the use of force. This allows it to use force to protect itself and to ensure freedom of movement for its personnel and aid workers. Force could also be used to protect civilians.
-- The civilian head of the operation is Rodolphe Adada, former foreign minister of the Congo Republic. The force commander is Gen. Martin Agwai of Nigeria.
Here are some facts about the conflict in the Darfur region.
* THE CONFLICT:
-- Rebels in Sudan's western Darfur region took up arms against the government in February 2003, saying Khartoum discriminated against non-Arab farmers and neglected the region.
-- Khartoum mobilized proxy Arab militia to help quell the revolt. Some militiamen, known locally as Janjaweed, pillaged and burned villages and killed civilians. The government has called the Janjaweed outlaws and denied supporting them.
-- Experts have estimated that at least 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes in the region since early 2003, some crossing the border into Chad, exacerbating a refugee crisis there. Sudan says 9,000 people have died.
-- The United Nations calls Darfur one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The United States says the violence in Darfur amounts to genocide.
-- Ten African Union soldiers were killed at the weekend and dozens were missing after armed men launched an assault on an AU base in Darfur. It was the worst attack on AU troops since they deployed in the violent west in 2004.
* CEASEFIRES:
-- A ceasefire was agreed in Darfur in April 2004. The African Union sent 7,000 peacekeepers with a mandate to monitor the peace and protect those displaced in the camps. The ceasefire has been violated repeatedly.
-- A peace deal in May 2006 was signed by only one of three rebel negotiating factions. It was almost immediately rejected by many in Darfur who said it did not go far enough to ensure their security. Since then rebels have splintered into a dozen factions, deepening the crisis.
-- New talks between Sudan's government and rebel groups will start on Oct. 27 in Libya to push for peace. U.N. and African Union special envoys will mediate the talks, to which some eight rebel groups are expected to be invited, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said after a three-day visit to Sudan last month.
* PEACEKEEPING FORCE FOR DARFUR:
-- The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution on July 31 for a new operation known as UNAMID, the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur.
-- It authorized for an initial period of 12 months up to 19,555 military personnel and 6,432 international police. UNAMID will absorb the 7,000 African Union troops currently in Darfur. It is expected to cost more than $2 billion in the first year.
-- The mission will operate under a "Chapter 7" mandate on the use of force. This allows it to use force to protect itself and to ensure freedom of movement for its personnel and aid workers. Force could also be used to protect civilians.
-- The civilian head of the operation is Rodolphe Adada, former foreign minister of the Congo Republic. The force commander is Gen. Martin Agwai of Nigeria.
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