STOCKHOLM - If accepted, the 400 Norwegian and Swedish army engineers offered for peacekeeping in Darfur will be far the largest Western contingent -- a bold step from Nordic countries unused to fighting overseas.
The attack on the African Union force in Sudan's west at the end of September that killed 10 peacekeepers was the worst on outside forces in Darfur, and was a reminder of the risks a new 26,000-troop hybrid AU and United Nations force will face.
Officials say the mainly Nigerian outpost was attacked by fighters the United Nations said were reported to be from a splinter group of one of Darfur's already fractured rebel movements. Some rebels blamed Sudan's government.
"I think the Swedish people have an overly romantic view of peacekeeping," said Jan Winter, an experienced correspondent and former foreign desk head for Swedish national newswire TT. "They don't realise that peacekeepers can be hated and attacked."
An al Qaeda leader has called for an Iraq-style insurgency against the peacekeepers, stretched across an area the size of France.
They will try to stem violence, protect aid workers and allow the return of 2.5 million displaced Darfuris.
International experts say more than 200,000 people have died since mainly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government.
The United States accuses Sudan of genocide conducted by government backed militia. Sudan says the Western world has exaggerated the crisis and only 9,000 are dead.
Western governments including the United States, Britain and France have pushed hard for a more powerful Darfur force. But only Sweden and Norway have made significant troop offers, although others have offered staff officers.
It is still not entirely clear if the 150 Swedish and 250 Norwegian soldiers will actually go. The African Union and Sudan have yet to accept their offer.
STANDING OUT
The engineer battalion is meant to specialise in construction tasks such as new bases and roads. But the more than dozen Finnish-built armoured vehicles will be among the most sophisticated in Darfur.
