Australia will join international efforts in Sudan’s Darfur by sending a small military team to join a UN’s mission in the conflict zone, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said yesterday.
The nine Defense Force logisticians will be part of the UN Assistance Mission in Darfur, which aims to help restore peace and stability in the region, he said.
“Darfur has been a continuing tragedy and the Australian government has a responsibility to act and this contribution demonstrates our commitment to the UN and restoring peace and stability in Darfur,” Rudd said.
He said the team, which must still be approved by Sudan, was small because the government had reservations about large contributions from Western countries.
“So they’ve asked us for help and what I’ve said was we’ll provide what we can through the Australian Defense Force. It’s a modest contribution,” he said.
Rudd said the assistance would be backed by A$5 million (US$4.8 million) in humanitarian aid.
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