African Union Force Low on Money, Supplies and Morale

The deteriorating situation has aggravated a dispute between Khartoum, the African Union and the United Nations over who would lead and fund the expanded peacekeeping mission. The groups reached a compromise last month that provides for U.N. command of the overall U.N. mission in Sudan, with the African Union commanding operations in Darfur.

But Norway and Sweden, the only European nations that have expressed interest in participating in the Darfur mission, have rejected the accord. "We are not members of the African Union; we are members of the United Nations," said Raymond Johansen, Norway's deputy foreign minister. "It will not be easy for our troops to report to an African Union commander."

The two nations initially pledged to send about 250 military engineers to Darfur. But Johansen said that they have objected to a U.N. proposal to place them under the protection of A.U. troops, saying they would provide an additional 250 Scandinavian security forces to ensure the engineers' safety. U.N. officials said that Khartoum would probably oppose the deployment of European security forces.

The United Nations has begun discussions with other possible contributors, including Iran, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand and Jordan, which has pledged to send six Cobra attack helicopter to the mission. China has promised to send a small unit of about 200 military engineers.

But many offers have not materialized. Egypt promised more than six months ago to provide 36 armored personnel carriers for the Darfur mission but hasn't furnished them, according to U.N. officials. Bangladesh has agreed to transfer troops currently stationed in Congo to Darfur. U.N. officials, however, say the troops are still needed in Congo.

Konare, meanwhile, has indicated that the African Union wants the United Nations to fund the expanded mission in Darfur but play a subservient role in running the mission. But wealthy donors are unlikely to accept the financial burden unless the United Nations administers the mission, U.N. officials said.

"The big money problem is that the Americans and the Europeans promised over the last decade that as long as the Africans deployed in these kinds of situations, we would pay for the soldiers and equip them. And we haven't done it," said John Prendergast of the International Crisis Group.

Alex de Waal, a British scholar who advised the African Union, said that while the A.U. force has stumbled, international donors have allowed it to "wither on the vine."

"You don't put a force into horribly difficult situation, where they are being shot at and having their soldiers killed and then tell them that they're second-rate and deprive them of resources," he said.