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UN OKs 26K Troops for Darfur
But force will have limited license
By Jonas Oransky
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Posted Jul 31, 07 6:21 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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The Security Council voted today to send as many as 26,000 soldiers and police to Sudan, Reuters reports. But the combined UN-African Union peacekeeping troops will have permission to use force only to defend civilians and humanitarian workers, a watering-down of proposals that would have allowed troops to seize weapons and would have included the threat of sanctions.
The US ambassador to Sudan threatened to request "swift adoption of unilateral and multilateral measures" if Khartoum isn't cooperative. Meanwhile, Gordon Brown warned during his first UN visit as PM that if good news wasn’t forthcoming, he’d push for sanctions. "The message for Darfur is that it is time for change," he said.