By Opheera McDoom
MUKJAR, Sudan (Reuters) - Local women ululated in delightwhen the commander of the joint U.N.-African Union force inWest Darfur promised to protect them.
But they also told him they were running out of patienceafter years of suffering in the devastated region.
The new peacekeeping force took over on December 31 afterconsiderable resistance from the government in Khartoum and sofar only 9,000 soldiers and police are on the ground out aplanned strength of 26,000.
But it has aroused huge expectations among the more than 2million Darfuris who have fled their homes during five years ofrape, murder and looting in Sudan's west.
"It's a big problem and you need to be patient because itwill take time to bring all these soldiers on the ground,"Balla Keita, commander of one of three Darfur sectors, toldDarfuris from the Fur tribe, the region's biggest.
About 23,000 people who fled their villages have soughtrefuge in the town of Mukjar, which lies south of West Darfur'scapital el-Geneina.
They told Keita that they wanted the new joint force, knownas UNAMID, to mount an effective operation to protectinternally displaced persons (IDPs), as the refugees arecalled.
"We want UNAMID to be at the gates of Mukjar to protect theIDPs," said local leader Ibrahim Khalil. "We want a UNAMIDoffice inside the IDP camp."
"When people go to get firewood outside they need to beprotected," said another leader, Mohamed Abdallah.
The Darfuris had had little time for the African Union,which has been integrated into the UNAMID mission. Many inDarfur rejected a May 2006 peace deal mediated by the AfricanUnion and felt the AU force was biased against them.
The Fur tribespeople support rebel Sudan Liberation Armyfounder Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur, who rejects the AU.
FRESH START?
They registered their frustration at the AU mission'sfailure to protect them by burning down AU posts in severalrefugee camps.
But they appeared to have been won over by Keita'scomments, with local leaders all murmuring in agreement withhim and expressing hopes for a fresh start.
Keita is struggling with unpaid soldiers and a lack ofequipment. But he said he was pressing his soldiers to do moreto protect the Darfuris, even if resources are lacking.
"You push to the limit and when you reach the limit thenyou can stop," he told his forces in Mukjar. "I'm your boss andI can understand when you are moving and when you're notmoving."
He berated the soldiers for not marking burned villages orrefugee camps on their operational maps. They complained theydid not have the right pens to do it, an excuse he did not wantto hear.
"A soldier cannot work without a plan," he said.
Keita's message was clear. The bumbling attitude of the oldAfrican Union mission was no longer going to be tolerated inthe new UNAMID.
Keita told the Darfuris that the AU had been limited by itsmandate to playing a monitoring role while UNAMID wasauthorised to protect civilians, and under his watch would doso.
"At the end stage we will be able to give you 90 percentprotection," Keita said, adding that 100 percent was notpossible. "The international community is committed toprotecting you."
It will not be an easy task. He cannot even get spare tyresfor his Canadian-supplied Armoured Personnel Carriers, whileDarfuris made clear their patience would not last forever.
"We have suffered for five years," one elderly woman toldthe commander.
