African observers open HQ in Darfur

June 9th, 2004.

KHARTOUM, June 9 (AFP) -- African Union observers on Wednesday set up a headquarters office in Al-Fashir of North Darfur state from which they will monitor a ceasefire between rebels and Khartoum government troops and allied militia in west Sudan's Darfur region, said a member of the AU team.

"We have opened our headquarters and will now start preparing for deploying the military observers who will arrive in the following days," George Mikouy, deputy chairman of the AU's disputes resolving mechanism, told AFP by telephone from Al-Fashir.

He said the inaugural ceremony was headed by chairman Ki Doulay of Burkina Faso in a compound that "was given to us by the local authorities."

Colonel Mikouy, a Senegalese who will be the chairman of the Al-Fashir- based committee, said they would have branch offices in Nyala, Ginaina and Kabkabiyah in addition to one on the Sudanese-Chadian common border.

He said the military observers, whose number he declined to give but were previously reported to be around 120, would be coming from Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and Namibia.