The Rwandan government's pledge that its troops in Darfur will protect civilians should encourage the international community to press Sudan to accept an enlarged African Union mission with a mandate for civilian protection, Human Rights Watch has said.
The international group also called on the African Union to ensure that sufficient troops are deployed in rural areas and not only in the major towns in Darfur. It said the AU should publicly report attacks against civilians as well as ceasefire violations.
The 154 Rwandan troops deployed on Sunday will protect African Union ceasefire monitors under the April 8th agreement between the Sudanese government and the two rebel movements in Darfur. They will be joined this weekend by a contingent of Nigerian troops.
The current African Union mandate does not specifically authorise these troops to protect civilians, but Rwandan president Mr Paul Kagame insisted that Rwandan troops would intervene if civilians are threatened, the human rights body said.
"The Rwandan government deserves praise for deploying troops to Darfur and pledging to protect civilians," said Ms Georgette Gagnon, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Africa division.
"Now the international community should increase pressure on Sudan to accept peacekeepers with a mandate for protecting civilians, and it should provide the support that's urgently needed for this mission."
On July 30th, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding that the Sudan take steps to improve conditions in Darfur in the areas of security, human rights, humanitarian assistance and political resolution of the conflict.
The Security Council gave the Sudanese government a 30-day deadline to disarm the government-backed Janjaweed militias.
"In a report released last week, Human Rights Watch documented how Khartoum instead has allowed the Janjaweed to continue to rape, assault and loot civilians, and drive ever more people from their homes," the rights body said today.
"Khartoum claims it can't control the Janjaweed, but at the same refuses to allow international troops to protect civilians in Darfur," said Ms Gagnon.
"If the Sudanese government were truly serious about protecting civilians, it would accept an expanded international presence to stop the atrocities."