United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan supports the Africa Union's plan to deploy a 3,000-strong peacekeeping force in Darfur, west Sudan.

Annan told reporters that the African Union has decided to increase the original 300 troops to 3,000. They will come from Nigeria, Rwanda and Tanzania or Botswana.

He says an expert panel of the United Nations will go to Addis Ababa to help the AU prepare for the deployment.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution on July 30 requiring the Sudanese government to disarm the Janjaweed and other Arab militia in Darfur within 30 days and arrest the leaders, otherwise the international community will impose sanctions on Sudan.

Darfur, bordering Chad, has been beset by a conflict between rebel forces, formed by local black tribes, and the government and Arab militia since February 2003. Attacks by Janjaweed have killed up to 30,000 people and driven more than one million out of their homes.

(CRI August 5, 2004)