UN calls for international support to expand African Force in Darfur, Sudan by UN News 4:48pm 8th Sep, 2004   7 September 2004    The Security Council could take action on the crisis engulfing the Darfur region of Sudan within the next week, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today, stressing that "more can and should be done" to improve security in the war-torn region and urging international support for the African monitors deployed there.    Mr. Annan made his comments to reporters on arrival at UN Headquarters, where he had separate meetings with a former Sudanese Prime Minister and a rebel leader.    While recalling that in a report to the Council last week he had noted an improvement on granting humanitarian access to Darfur, he warned that security problems persist. Khartoum "must re-double its efforts to protect the population" of an estimated 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), he said.    "Obviously the situation on the ground could be better. We are not satisfied with the security front. We believe that more can and should be done," he added.    Mr. Annan said the Council should expand the size of the force of African Union monitors (AU) from its original "woefully inadequate" number to better protect the IDPs and to restore security.    "I hope the international community will support them [the AU monitoring force] financially, logistically and also in other ways."    In his report to the Council, he said the notorious Janjaweed militias have conducted a "scorched-earth policy" against Darfur's civilians since conflict began there early last year when two rebel groups took up arms against the Government.    Mr. Annan said most of the militias have not been disarmed and continue to carry out attacks, killing, raping and assaulting villagers and generally traumatizing the inhabitants.    Today, he held meetings with El Sadiq El Mahdi, former Sudanese Prime Minister, and John Garang, leader of the southern rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), about the situation in Darfur and also the peace talks taking place in Naivasha, Kenya, to end the separate civil war in the country's south.    In a read-out to the press, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe said Dr. Garang and Mr. Annan discussed the need to intensify efforts to resolve the Darfur crisis and to complete the Naivasha talks. Mr. El Mahdi stressed how important it was for the international community, especially the Security Council, to remain engaged about Darfur and to put pressure on all sides to fulfil their commitments.    Mr. Annan also told reporters that there are lessons in the current Naivasha talks which could be applied to resolving the conflict in Darfur. But he said Khartoum should press ahead and try to conclude both conflicts, rather than waiting for one to finish before tackling the other.    Meanwhile, political talks are continuing in Abuja, Nigeria, between representatives of Khartoum and Darfur's two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).    Ms. Okabe said the parties are still discussing a draft protocol on security issues - focusing on disarmament and monitoring - prepared by the AU mediators with help from the UN and other partners in the peace process.
	Next (more recent) news item
	Next (older) news item