Brown eyes Darfur technical support
Sanctions could punish Khartoum if it continues to back the janjaweed
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Sunday, 16, Sep 2007 10:13
Gordon Brown says Britain should provide technical support to the 26,000-strong peacekeeping force due to be deployed to Sudan's wartorn Darfur region.
The UN force, which will be the largest of its kind, was reluctantly accepted by the Sudanese government which has made its preference for an all-African contingent clear.
Observers say the presence of British personnel assisting the force could encounter resistance from Khartoum but Mr Brown believes further resistance to moves towards peace should be punished.
Speaking to the BBC, he said the international community could impose further sanctions on the Sudanese government if it fails to stop fighting between rebel factions and the janjaweed militia it supports.
"If it doesn't happen… and all the promises are not honoured then I think we've got to be pretty clear. If it doesn't work and we find that the government of Sudan is not making the changes that are necessary, we will have to move to further sanctions," he said, adding that he expected other European governments and the US would also back this stance.
Mr Brown's comments come on a Global Day for Darfur in which protests against the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region will take place around the world.
London will see a march and rally beginning at the Sudanese embassy at 12:00 BST and ending outside Downing Street.
Demonstrations are also planned in Paris, Rome, Lisbon and Brussels in Europe and in New York, Japan and Rio de Janeiro elsewhere around the world.
At least 200,000 people are believed to have died in the conflict since it began in 2003.