Russian Air Force personnel to complete rotation in Sudan
08/08/2008 15:02 MOSCOW, August 8 (RIA Novosti) - The second, final, group of Russian Air Force personnel will leave for Sudan Friday as part of a scheduled rotation of Russia's UN peacekeeping mission to the African country, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"A military-transport Il-76 aircraft will deliver over 40 personnel to Africa. In addition to personnel, the plane will transport Russian air force equipment to Sudan," the ministry said.
The first group of Russian Air Force personnel arrived in Sudan on Tuesday.
The Russian peacekeeping contingent in Sudan comprises 120 personnel and four Mi-8 helicopters equipped to UN and international standards.
The contingent provides transport services for UN military observers in Sudan, including accompanying freight, and also carries out rescue operations.
The first unit of Russian peacekeepers arrived in Sudan in April 2006. They are expected to stay - with regular rotations - for five or six years.
The UN Mission in Sudan was established in 2005 to monitor the peace agreement between the government in Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in southern Sudan, which ended the longest-running civil war in Africa.
The UN presence in Sudan has since been expanded to include peacekeeping operations in Darfur. Since 2003, Chad and Sudan have accused each other of inciting conflict on their common border, which is along the west Sudanese region of Darfur.
According to international estimates, more than 200,000 people have been killed and around 2.5 million displaced in the ongoing conflict in Darfur.
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