Sudan : African troops can stay in Darfur but not under UN

SUDAN: Sudan said it would allow African troops to remain in Darfur only under African Union control and accused Washington of attempting "regime change" in Khartoum by trying to bring in a U.N. force.

The head of the African Union mission monitoring a shaky truce in Darfur reaffirmed that the AU presence would end on Sept. 30.

Sudan raised fears its turbulent west could descend into full-blown war by saying on Sunday AU troops must leave when their mandate expired at the end of the month.

Presidential adviser Mustafa Osman Ismail said on Monday the government was merely responding to the AU's assertion that it did not have the money or equipment to sustain its 7,000 troops in Darfur beyond the end of this month.

"The AU has refused to extend its mandate beyond Sept. 30. If they don't want to extend their mandate, they have to go," he said.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said later Sudan had asked the AU to notify it within seven days whether or not it would be in a position to continue its mission beyond Sept. 30.

The head of the AU mission in Sudan, Baba Gana Kingibe, said soon afterwards: "The AU Peace and Security Council met today in Addis Ababa and decided to reaffirm that its mandate will end on September 30 in Darfur."

It was not immediately clear whether the AU comments meant the force would indeed pull out or whether diplomatic efforts would produce a deal to allow it to stay.

One African diplomat said Sudan had softened its position because it realised expelling the AU would end implementation of an AU-brokered peace deal between it and one rebel faction.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, told CNN: "We're going to continue to put pressure on the government of Sudan, work with the African Union and others who are interested. We're not going to give up on these people."

A U.S. and British-backed United Nations resolution, which passed last Thursday and was immediately rejected by Khartoum, says 20,000 U.N. troops should take over peacekeeping duties from AU forces which have been unable to end the violence that has ravaged Darfur for 3-1/2 years.

AU troops were to fill the gap until the arrival of the U.N. troops and be absorbed into the U.N. operation.

Ismail said the government rejected that transition and argued the U.N. mandate's goal was "regime change".

"Sudan will not accept those troops to be transformed into part of a U.N. force," he told reporters.

"Monitoring the borders ... protection of civilians ... creating an independent judiciary have all become the responsibility of the international forces, so what is left for the government?" he said, referring to clauses in the U.N. resolution.

"The United States has a clear strategy ... of trying to weaken this government ... or trying to change the government."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday criticised the U.N. resolution, saying during a visit to AU headquarters in Ethiopia that it "was taken in haste without continued consultation with the government of Sudan".

Russia abstained from voting on the resolution.

Khartoum, Tuesday, Reuters.