Sudan: October 1, 2004

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 Many Darfur refugees who believed government claims that it was now safe to go home, now report that the Arab gunmen are still wandering about attacking any non-Arab Sudanese they encounter. Some of these groups may just be bandits, and everyone admits that banditry is becoming more of a problem. The Sudanese armed forces and national police are not numerous enough to pacify the entire Darfur region, even if they were ordered to do so. The refugees are easy enough to find, but the bandits have many places to hide. 

The government has agreed to allow 3,400 peacekeepers from the African Union to enter Darfur and establish security. Darfur is about the size of France, and 3,400 troops will have a hard time making their presence felt through out the area. The new force will take about a month to organize and moved into Darfur.