First batch of AU protection forces fly to Sudan

150 Rwandan troops left Kigali Saturday for Sudan's troubled region of Darfur where they will protect the African Union (AU) monitors.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame set them off at the Kigali international airport, urging them to perform their duties as expected in Darfur.

"Its really a task, but I have no doubt that you will do accordingly," Kagame said.

Kagame however, reminded them to bear in mind that the security of Darfur people ought to be defended if they are attacked, he said.

The Rwandan troops will fly straight to Darfur's Al-Fashir.

The AU and the Rwandan government reached an agreement of deploying the AU force to Darfur but the Khartoum government kept adjourning the deployment.

An AU official said Friday that the deployment would go as planned. "There is no change of the plan in deploying the first group of the 300 African forces and everything goes as planned," said the official who declined to be named.

Rwanda had earlier complained on the modalities set by the AU, urging that it's of no meaning to protect the observers when the innocent people of Darfur are dying.

Other country nominated to send her troops include Nigeria. South Africa, Tanzania, Senegal have also expressed their willingness to send troops to the Darfur as peacekeeping forces ifthe AU asks them to do so.

Source: Xinhua