The war continues in Sudan's western Darfur province, with pro-government militia continuing to attack refugees. Nigeria said it will send another battalion of troops to serve with African Union peacekeepers in Darfur. That makes three Nigerian battalions for Darfur. One arrived in July, the second battalion is in the process of deploying via airlift from Nigeria to Darfur. The third battalion will arrive in Darfur in October. Nigeria has the largest peacekeeping contingent in Darfar. The second largest? Rwanda. A reinforced Rwandan battalion (1000 troops) arrived in mid-July. Rwanda currently has 1,750 troops in Darfur.
The big questions is, will the increase in troops have an effect? The theory is the armed peacekeepers presence will be enough to deter the "Arab" militias. The Rwandans and Nigerians are also "black Africans" -- like the farmers and herders under attack by the militias.
