"There has been no problem so far. The Garuda Contingent troops remain committed to carrying out peacekeeping tasks in the country," Indonesian Ambassador to Sudan Sujatmiko said when contacted from Cairo on Wednesday.
He was responding to a number of international media reports that the Sudanese government had banned UNAMID peacekeeping forces from entering the war-stricken area.
Both UNAMID and Khartoum saw the Garuda Contingent had been doing very well according to the universal rules, he said.
Asked to comment on the reported ban, the ambassador said he had not been informed of it.
"Where does the ban come from? But it is true that the Sudanese government has since a long time ago declared its very dangerous areas off-limit (to peacekeeping operations)," he said.
The Sudanese military was intensively monitoring the areas where many rebel groups were found, he said.
"The reason is very logical that it is very risky for UNAMID troops to be there. This is for the sake of the peacekeeping personnel`s security," he said.
Indonesia has sent National Police Formed Police Unit (FPU) personnel to Sudan for the fourth year in a row now to help stabilize security there. The FPU IV personnel are currently serving in Sudan.
"Early in November the FPU V will replace the FPU IV," he said.
Sujatmiko said the Indonesian government was in the process of dispatching a battalion of 800 military personnel to West Darfur and they were expected to arrive there in the middle of this year.
In addition, 20 police advisers and 12 military observers would also leave for Sudan, he said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
