The Darfur conflict may be coming closer to an end following the United Nations Security Council's unanimous decision on Tuesday to deploy a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force to Sudan's troubled region. The four-year-old conflict, referred to as a genocide by the US, has caused more than 200,000 deaths and dislocated more than 2.5 million people. The UN resolution managed to win the support of the traditionally resistant Sudanese and Chinese governments, but some observers say there's still room for it to fail.

The force will be largely composed of Africans and will consist of nearly 20,000 military personnel and 6,000 police officers. Known as the UN African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), the force is expected to select its commanders by October and take over operations from the 7,000 African Union (AU) peacekeepers currently in Sudan by the end of the year, reports the UN News Service. For the first 12 months, UN forces will incorporate the AU troops into their mission.

UNAMID is tasked with acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to support the "early and effective implementation" of last year's Darfur Peace Agreement between the Government and the rebels, and it is also mandated to protect civilians, prevent armed attacks and ensure the security of aid workers and its own personnel and facilities.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the mission "historic and unprecedented." It will come after months of Sudanese resistance and will cost about $2 billion in its first year, reports The New York Times.

"You are sending a clear and powerful signal of your commitment to improve the lives of the people of the region and close this tragic chapter in Sudan's history," [Mr. Ban] told the Security Council.

China, too, posed a hurdle to passing the Darfur resolution. One of the Sudan's strongest political supporters and the No. 1 consumer of its oil, China had objected to prior attempts to sanction Sudan or send peacekeeping forces there. However, "British officials said that China's oil interests in Sudan were eventually outweighed by anxiety about a possible international human-rights backlash over Darfur aimed at next year's Olympic Games in Beijing," reports the Guardian.

Since agreeing to support the UNAMID mission, Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya described a peace agreement as a "fundamental prerequisite" for lasting stability in Darfur. Mr. Guangya also emphasized the importance of addressing Sudan's lack of development, which many see as the root of Darfur's problems. He said it is critical to the peace process, reports China's Xinhua News Agency.

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