'Genocide' developing in Darfur - Nigeria's Obasanjo

African politics in action. The African Union's chairman announced to the press today that genocide is developing in Darfur and AMIS must be handed to the UN but retain its African character. Maybe this news will enable more African leaders to offer African peacekeepers for AMIS - or better still, the "African Union Plus" (= AU mission in Darfur + UN support). See Oct 10 2006 ST - 'Genocide' developing in Darfur - Nigeria's Obasanjo - excerpt:

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo urged Sudan Tuesday to accept a UN role in its troubled western Darfur region, where he said "genocide" was developing and African peacekeepers are overwhelmed.

In some of the strongest comments by an African leader to date about the situation in Darfur, Obasanjo said the African Union mission must be handed over to the United Nations but retain its African character.

"It is not in the interest of Sudan, nor in the interest of Africa nor indeed in the interest of the world for us all to stand by and see genocide being developed in Darfur," he told diplomats and AU officials at the pan-African body's headquarters here.

Note the report tells us, the US and some relief agencies characterized Darfur as "genocide" in the past, but Obasanjo is believed to be the first African leader to use the word.