[JURIST] An increase in Sudanese troops in the war-torn Darfur region [JURIST news archive] of Sudan could lead to a new human rights crisis there, Amnesty International [advocacy website] warned [press release] Monday as the UN Security Council prepared to consider a proposal to deploy 20,000 UN troops to the area. Sudan denies any wrongdoing in Darfur and has proposed to the Council an alternative plan of its own that would authorize a Sudanese domestic peacekeeping force of 10,500.

Sudan's government opposed UN-led peacekeeping forces [JURIST report] before the May 5 Darfur peace agreement [US Sudan Embassy briefing], but has since indicated that it may agree to the UN presence. The International Criminal Court [official website] chief prosecutor's investigation into the Darfur situation [ICC materials] documented thousands of killings of civilians, large scale massacres, and hundreds of rapes that he already anticipates will result in multiple cases rather than a single proceeding [UN News report]. Sudanese officials have strongly opposed sending Sudanese citizens to a foreign court for trial. Reuters has more.