Sudanese defense minister asks for more Egyptian forces for Darfur

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Sudan's defense minister asked Egypt on Sunday to commit more police to the troubled Darfur region. An Egyptian battalion is due in Darfur by the end of June to boost the understaffed UN-AU hybrid force. Minister Abdul Rahim Hussein said he is requesting more Egyptian troops, including police. "Sudan wants large Egyptian participation in these troops," he said. The hybrid peacekeeping mission was deployed in January, but it remains about a third of what it was designed to be. The force also lacks equipment and transport.