Burundi says it is ready to deploy troops as part of the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia in July. Meanwhile, the U.S. government is giving $6 million in development aid to Somalia. Some of the money will be used to support the upcoming National Reconciliation Congress, which was delayed once again this week.

Sudan's government has accepted a plan for a joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in the troubled Darfur region.

The United Nations and the African Union have tentatively agreed on the outline of a joint peacekeeping operation for Darfur. But as VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from U.N. headquarters, the 23,000 strong force faces several obstacles that will delay deployment until at least the middle of next year.

Sudan says President Bush is unjustified in his decision to impose new sanctions on Khartoum because of the situation in Darfur. Before the sanctions were even announced at the White House on Monday, Sudanese officials protested the threat, saying every effort is being made to end the conflict in Darfur.

UN Security Council today called for the immediate implementation of a joint report of the United Nations and the African Union (AU) that sets out the mandate and structure for the planned hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping mission for the violence-wracked Darfur region of Sudan.

Friday "Africa Day", set aside annually to commemorate the founding in 1963 of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). In July 2002, the OAU was succeeded by the present African Union.

A hidden roadside bomb exploded in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday, killing four African Union peacekeepers and wounding another five. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi reports that Iraq-style guerilla attacks are on the rise in Somalia.

African Union peacekeepers have begun patrolling the battered streets of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, days after the government declared victory over Islamic insurgents. About 1,600 Ugandan troops began roaming the streets of Mogadishu on Tuesday as thousands of residents began streaming back into the city.

Organized protests took place around the world Sunday to mark the fourth anniversary of the deadly conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. Demonstrators in dozens of cities chanted slogans calling for world leaders to take action to stop the bloodshed.

The Bush administration confirmed Thursday it put off the imposition of new sanctions against Sudan at the urging of U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon. However U.S. officials are skeptical that diplomacy by the U.N. chief will lead to a breakthrough on peacekeeping in Darfur. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department

Sudan has agreed to the first large deployment of U.N. peacekeepers and equipment in Darfur to bolster a beleaguered African Union force. But as VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from U.N. headquarters, western diplomats reacted cautiously to the announcement, and Khartoum's U.N. ambassador appeared to contradict it.

The United States Tuesday urged greater international support for African Union peacekeeping in Somalia. The State Department appeal came as senior U.S., European and African diplomats convened in Cairo to discuss the worsening violence in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.