The African Union (AU) Commission says an urgent solution must be found to the crisis in Sudan’s Darfur region to prevent the destabilization of the entire region. The chairperson of the commission, Alpha Oumar Konare, made the comment on government radio in Congo Brazzaville, after talks with President Sassou Nguesso.          

The head of the African Union Mission in Sudan is Baba Gana Kingibe. He told English to Africa’s Ruby Ofori the possibility of the spread of the conflict has always been a key reason for the AU’s involvement in the mediating the conflict.

“The African Union agreed to deploy its forces in Darfur in the first place out of a realization that unless the Darfur conflict was contained within Darfur, within Sudan, the history of conflict in that area indicated that obviously there was a potential for widespread insecurity in the whole region," he said

Ambassador Kingibe said the recent death of an African Union peace keeper and the growing insecurity in Darfur was the result of rampant banditry by rebel groups from Chad and Darfur as well as government backed Janjaweed militia in the northwest border area with Chad.

“It’s a melting pot of all the contending forces and this is really at the base of the increasing insecurity and tension.”