Canada may send 150 troops to Sudan
Last Updated Sat, 07 May 2005 20:28:06 EDT
OTTAWA - Canada is reported ready to send up to 150 military personnel as peacekeepers to war-torn Sudan.
Ottawa would also donate some used military equipment and increase its humanitarian aid for the northeast African country.
An official announcement is coming in the next few days, the Canadian Press reported Saturday.
The federal government has already earmarked $20 million in aid for Sudan. And Gen. Rick Hillier told CBC News Friday that Canada was making plans to send troops to the Darfur region of Sudan by the end of the summer.
Darfur is the western province of Sudan, where a government-backed militia is accused of killing thousands of people because of political, ethnic and religious differences.
At least 180,000 people have died and more than 2 million others have been displaced in two years of conflict there.
Canada has also already promised 31 soldiers to act as advisers to an African Union mission in Addis Ababa, the capital of neighbouring Ethiopia.
The additional Canadian military personnel would serve as short-term advisers, mechanics and trainers, CP reported.
The United Nations has called the situation in Darfur the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The Canadian government has a new sense of urgency to deal with Sudan as it seeks the support of members of Parliament for a looming confidence vote in the Commons this month.
Paul Martin's minority Liberal government has the support of the New Democratic Party, but it needs the votes of all three Independent MPs to survive a motion of non-confidence.
David Kilgour, who quit the Liberal caucus to sit as an Independent recently, has said he wants to see a tougher Canadian response to the Darfur crisis before he decides whether to support the government.
