S. Korea rejects U.N. calls to send troops to Darfur

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has decided not to dispatch troops to
Darfur despite repeated requests from the United Nations' that it contribute to
ongoing peacekeeping operations in the region, a diplomatic source said
Wednesday.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a native of South Korea, has asked leaders
there to join international efforts to stabilize the area in Sudan, which has
been plagued for years by a humanitarian crisis.
In May, South Korea sent an inter-agency team to Darfur to assess the situation
before making a decision on whether to send troops.
"It would be hard for South Korea to dispatch troops due to logistical problems
and security concerns," the source said on condition of anonymity.
The U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution last year to set up a
hybrid operation of about 26,000 soldiers from the African Union and the U.N. in
Darfur. Only about 15,000 troops have been deployed so far.
Fighting between pro-government militia groups and rebels demanding greater
autonomy in Darfur has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions homeless
since 2003.