| The United Nations and Sudan are discussing the deployment of UN military advisers to reinforce the African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, hoping to avert a standoff that could deepen the crisis in the war-torn region, officials from both sides said Tuesday. The proposal appeared to be gaining momentum amid fears violence could escalate. The United Nations has demanded Sudan accept a UN peacekeeping force in the region, but Khartoum has fiercely deposed it, insisting it will only accept strengthening the current African Union mission. |