UNAMID has only defensive equipment -- chief

KHARTOUM, Jan 23 (KUNA) -- UN-African Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Commander Gen. Martin Luther Agwai said here Wednesday the UNAMID had only defensive, rather than offensive, equipment.
Gen. Agwai was speaking to Sudanese military service commanders in Khartoum.
Accompanied by the UNAMID police chief, Gen. Agwai held a significant meeting with Sudanese military, police and security chiefs on the military and police components of the UNAMID, according to a UNAMID release.
The UNAMID is expected to raise the number of its troops and policemen up to 20,000 and 6,000 respectively, he said.
During the meeting, the UNAMID chief also elaborated the equipment, structure, operations and deployment of his forces, the release said.
The UNAMID will use its equipment in defensive, rather than offensive, equipment, he said, listing four stages of hybrid peacekeepers in Darfur as transition, stabilization, reinforcement and troop reduction.
Having taken over the peacekeeping mission in Darfur from African Union forces early this year in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 1679, UNAMID is being deployed to try to quell nearly five years of violent clashes between rebels, government forces and allied militia known as the Janjaweed.
More than 200,000 people have been killed across the vast and arid region and at least 2.2 million others have been displaced since 2003. (end) hha.mt KUNA 231839 Jan 08NNNN