In July 2004, Benn set out five stages to end the War in Darfur that had begun in February 2003. The stages were: "to get help to the people in the camps and elsewhere", "to get more people and more capacity on the ground to deliver this aid", "security – urgently", getting the "government of Sudan ... to disarm the militias and provide security to the people" and "Finally, this crisis needs a political solution". On 13 June 2005, he committed an additional £19,000,000 to the African Union security mission in Darfur, bringing the total UK contribution to £32,000,000. Benn led the UK negotiating team at the 2006 Darfur peace negotiations.