The African Union and United Nations warned yesterday that the AU's expanded mission in Darfur could fail unless donors backed their pledges to provide financial and logistical support to the operation.

While African nations have shown a willingness to put troops on the ground, the fledgling AU lacks the funds and equipment needed to deploy the 3,320-strong force it agreed to on Wednesday. "There is no way we can do this without our partners' financial assistance," said Adam Thiam, an AU spokesman.