ME and Ophelia

EUROPEAN OBSERVERS HAVE BEGUN ARRIVING IN SUDAN
To help African Union monitor ceasefire

21 June Reuters - European observers have begun arriving in Sudan to help the African Union monitor a ceasefire between the Sudanese government and two rebel groups in Darfur, the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday. The African Union is leading an international mission of up to 120 observers to monitor the ceasefire after more than a year of fighting, which has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

"The consolidation of the ceasefire is crucial to prevent a real humanitarian crisis in Darfur. This is the reason why the EU member states have quickly decided to take part in the ceasefire monitoring mechanism," Solana said in a statement.

The European Union will support the international mission with 12 million euros ($14.50 million) and its member states are expected to send between six and nine observers to Sudan. The bloc's 12-month funding, which will cover roughly half of the observer mission's budget, will be released from its recently established African Peace Facility.

($1=.8275 Euro)
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MOZAMBICAN OBSERVERS FOR DARFUR
To join African Union mission in next few days

June 21 allAfrica: The Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM) are to send five military observers within the next few days to join the African peace-keeping mission in the troubled province of Darfur, in the western Sudan. According to a statement from the Defence Ministry, received by AIM today, the observers will help monitor a ceasefire in the region, under an agreement signed in April in the Chadian capital, N'djamena.

Mozambican forces have been involved in United Nations and African Union peace keeping missions in East Timor, the Comoros, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The largest commitment is a unit of 200 troops currently stationed in Burundi.