China: Rebel threats against Darfur peacekeepers will not be tolerated

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
China on Wednesday rejected threats made by a Sudanese rebel group against its peacekeeping mission in Darfur. China "could not tolerate criticism from any party for its participation in peacekeeping missions in the Darfur region of Sudan, and opposes any public threat made against the security of its peacekeepers there," the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang. Darfur rebel group the Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement has said it considers Chinese troops targets because Beijing supplies military and economic support to Sudan's government. Over the weekend, China began deploying a 315-member engineering, well-digging, and medical contingent to Darfur to prepare for the arrival of the proposed 26,000-strong hybrid African Union-UN peacekeeping force likely early next year.