The UN Security Council is preparing a resolution to approve a new UN-African Union force of up to some 26,000 troops and police and allow a wide use of force to protect civilians in Darfur.
The draft resolution, circulated to the 15 council members by sponsors Britain, France and Ghana, is necessary before the United Nations can formally recruit troops to help stop the violence in western Sudan.
Some 200,000 people are estimated to have died in the region and more than 2.1 million uprooted.
The resolution is under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter, which makes it mandatory. It would allow the mission "to use all necessary means," a euphemism for a use of force, "in the areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities."
Specifically, the text would authorise up to 19,555 military personnel and 6,400 civilian police. It calls on member states to "finalise" their contributions within 90 days of adoption. Sudan has agreed to the troop numbers.
The new operation, called the United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur, or UNAMID, would absorb the 7,000 African Union troops now in the region. The cost for the first year has been estimated at €1.5 billion.
The resolution also notes with "strong concern" ongoing attacks by rebels, the government and pro-government Janjaweed militia on the civilian population and humanitarian workers.
It also speaks for the first time of the "use of United Nations markings on aircraft used in such attacks" a reference to a confidential UN report by outside experts in April. That survey said the Khartoum government was using planes painted white to make them look like UN aircraft to bomb and carry out surveillance of villages.