U.N. peacekeepers should be deployed in Burundi to help end a decade of civil war, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday. In a report to the Security Council, Annan recommended a U.N. force of 5,650 troops be sent to take over for African Union peacekeepers, whose mission there ends in April.
| The whole f'ing continent needs peacekeepers. |
The African Union's 2,523 troops and 43 military observers played a crucial role by creating the necessary atmosphere for parties to join the political process, Annan said. "Yet the Burundian population continues to live in fear ... of abuse and abject poverty, and in the fear that the upcoming elections will result in turmoil," he said. Elections are due in less than eight months. The council is scheduled to hold consultations on Burundi next week.
| I hear the Spanish have troops available for this. |
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