[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The UN has suspended its relief operations in parts of the Sudanese state of South Darfur due to fighting between government and rebel forces, and a reported build-up of armed groups in the area, a spokesperson said. 
Radia Achouri, spokesperson for the UN Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS), told IRIN on Thursday that fighting between government troops and the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) had continued in areas east and southeast of Nyala town. 
"The security situation is particularly tense around the town of Muhujariya and two international NGOs have relocated staff from Muhujariya to Sheriya as a result," Achouri said. 
Fighting, UNAMIS reported, had also occurred in the South Darfur villages of Bashom, Eida, Ishma, Um Zehefa, Reil and surrounding areas on Monday and Tuesday. The clashes intensified days after two relief workers employed by the NGO, Save the Children (SC-UK), were killed. 
A helicopter patrol of the African Union ceasefire monitoring operation also reported that two villages - Um Zehefa and Konkoro - seemed to have been abandoned and burned to the ground. 
"All UN operations have been suspended along the main road between Mershing and Duma [where the SC-UK aid workers were killed], the road between Nyala and Kass camp, and between Nyala and Zalingei," Achouri told IRIN. 
UNAMIS, however, reported that the security situation in North Darfur had improved slightly, although it had received unconfirmed reports of fighting on Tuesday between government forces and the SLA, northeast of Al Fasher. 
"The situation remains tense," Achouri noted. 
The latest confirmed fighting in the area occurred in Thabit last week and reportedly resulted in four civilian fatalities and 20 injuries, according to UN officials who had assessed the situation on the ground. 
The officials said about 16,000 displaced people had already fled to Thabit, following the 22 November attacks on the town of Tawillah. They had now scattered in the surrounding areas after the recent attacks. 
The war in Darfur pits the Sudanese government troops and militias, allegedly allied to the government, against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. 
The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45-million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described the Darfur problem as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The settlement of the long-running conflict in southern Sudan between Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), is key to solving the humanitarian crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, a UN envoy said. 
Jan Pronk, the Secretary-General's representative in Sudan, told a news conference in New York on Tuesday that a peace accord in the south would lead to a new constitution and a new government which would be sympathetic to the situation in Darfur and more open to negotiation. 
With a 31 December deadline for concluding a peace agreement between the government and the SPLM/A fast approaching, Pronk urged the major global players - including the five permanent members of the Security Council - to present a unified position. 
"If the Sudanese government and the rebels were faced with a unified front, with the powerful nations in the world saying that they would not tolerate non-compliance with the Council's resolution, the parties would have no choice but to come up with a negotiated political solution," Pronk was quoted by UN News service as saying. 
The Sudanese government and the SPLM/A last month signed a memorandum of understanding at an extraordinary session of the Security Council in Nairobi, Kenya, pledging to conclude a final peace accord by the end of the year. 
"The mood is good and I would say the chances are positive," Pronk said, adding there still remained the "extremely difficult" bone of contention on the size and financing of the army. 
Pronk was in New York to discuss preparations for a possible deployment of more personnel for the UN Advance Mission in the Sudan (UNAMIS). He said he already had several firm offers for troops "from a number of South Asian countries". 
In Khartoum, UNAMIS spokeswoman, Radia Achouri, told reporters that fighting had continued in areas east and southeast of Nyala town in South Darfur. 
"In addition to the incident involving SC-UK staff members, fighting was reported in the villages of Bashom, Eida, Ishma, Um Zehefa, Reil and surrounding areas to the east of these locations on 12 and 13 December," she said. "The reported build-up of rival armed groups in these areas has raised serious concerns in the humanitarian community." 
In its latest "humanitarian profile" on Darfur, released on Tuesday, UNAMIS reported that an estimated 1.65-million people had been displaced by fighting in Darfur, while more than 2.2 million had been affected by the conflict. 
The war in Darfur pits the Sudanese government troops and militias, allegedly allied to the government, against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. The UN has described the Darfur conflict as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 
The war between the SPLM/A and the Sudanese government in the south erupted in 1983 when the rebels took up arms against authorities based in the north to demand greater autonomy. 
The peace talks between Khartoum and the SPLM/A have been going on in the Kenyan town of Naivasha since mid-2003

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The UN has strongly condemned the murder of two relief workers in the western Sudanese region of Darfur and called on the Khartoum government, rebels and militia to respect the principles of international humanitarian law. 
"The fact that [relief] workers themselves seem to have become the target of fighting poses severe difficulties for humanitarian access, with grave consequences for assistance in the future," Jan Pronk, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sudan, said in a statement. 
The two Sudanese employees of the international relief organisation, Save the Children UK (SC-UK), were killed on Monday in South Darfur state, after coming under fire while travelling in a convoy of three clearly marked humanitarian vehicles on the main road between the localities of Mershing and Duma. 
"Two other vehicles in the convoy managed to flee the scene unharmed," Radia Achouri, spokeswoman for the United Nations Advance Mission in Sudan, told IRIN on Tuesday. 
"We deplore this brutal killing of humanitarian workers in Darfur," Ken Caldwell, SC UK's director of international operations, said in a statement. "Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of our Sudanese colleagues." 
The NGO said it would suspend its humanitarian operations in the state while African Union (AU) officials, charged with monitoring the ceasefire in the region, were investigating the incident. 
SC UK operates a number of feeding centres and medical clinics throughout camps in South Darfur, serving an estimated 130,000 displaced people, Laura Conrad, SC UK's senior media officer told IRIN from London on Tuesday. 
On 10 October, two other SC UK workers, a British programme manager and a Sudanese Sudanese water engineer, were killed by a landmine in North Darfur. Their driver was seriously injured. The AU blamed rebel forces for the landmine incident. 
The war in Darfur pits Sudanese government troops and militias allegedly allied to the government against rebels fighting to end what they have called the marginalisation of and discrimination against the region's inhabitants by the state. 
The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described the Darfur problem as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 

The President of Sudan, Omar el Beshir, has asked parliament to extend by another year the state of emergency in the country (due to expire on 31 December) due to the conflict in the remote western region of Darfur, the state news agency Suna has said today. Beshir has also asked parliament to prolong by six months the current legislature and the mandate of some government officials, whose names have not been made known. The same source claims that the two measures will allow the government to deal with the implications of the signing of a definitive peace accord with the secessionists of South Sudan (expected before the end of the year) and prepare the six-year transitional period that should end with a referendum on self-determination for the population in the south of the country. Meanwhile, the African Union-sponsored peace talks in Abuja (Nigeria) between the government of Khartoum and the two armed movements active in Darfur hang in the balance. On Monday, the representatives of the two rebel groups, SLA-M (Sudan’s Liberation Army-Movement) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement), suspended their participation in negotiations due to alleged repeated attacks by Sudanese government forces against their positions. In particular, the rebels claimed to have information of a large military operation planned by Khartoum for the next few days. Both sides have long accused the other of violating the April ceasefire agreement – claims that have been verified by mediators for the pan-African organisation, who calculate that the number of ‘certified’ infringements (namely those recognised by the special ceasefire commission) have doubled in the last two months, rising from 13 in September to 52 between October and early December. The AU mediators are trying to persuade the representatives of the two rebel movements to return to the negotiating table but for now SLA-M and JEM are showing no sign of changing their mind.

Abhakar el Tayeb, a medical assistant, and Yacoub Abdelnabi Ahmed, a mechanic, are the two local ‘Save the Children’ staff members killed in an ambush in South Darfur yesterday, sources at the British non-governmental organisation (ngo) have said. The ngo told MISNA that a convoy of three clearly marked ‘Save the Children’ vehicles was travelling along the road between Mershing and Duma at around 16.00 local time when it came under fire. In addition to the two fatalities, an unspecified number of people were also injured in the attack and are now receiving hospital treatment. Save the Children operates tented medical clinics for internally displaced people in both Mershing and Duma. Operations have been suspended in the State – one of three making up the war-torn Darfur region – pending investigations by the African Union, which has a monitoring mission in the region. In a recent statement, the NGO recalls that this is the second fatal incident involving its staff in Darfur in the last two months: on 10 October Rafe Bullick (a British Programme Manager) and Nourredine Issa Tayeb (a Sudanese water engineer) were killed by a landmine in North Darfur, where the charity also has projects.

Two Sudanese aid workers were killed on Sunday in the State of South Darfur, ‘Save the Children’, the British non-governmental organisation for which the victims worked, has said in a statement. The two local staff members were reportedly killed after their convoy of clearly marked humanitarian vehicles came under fire. The organisation has decided to suspend operations in South Darfur – one of the three states that make up the Darfur region in western Sudan - while investigations are carried out. The crisis in Darfur exploded in February 2003 when two popular self-defence movements took up arms against the government of Khartoum, accusing it of neglecting the region and of backing the militias of Arab predators known as Janjaweed, who have brought death and destruction to the area for years; since then, an unknown number of people have died (tens of thousands according to the United Nations, ‘just’ 5.000 according to the Sudanese government), while over 1.5 million people have been internally displaced and at least 200.000 people have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad.

Sudan faces a political crisis following the announcement by the al-Umma Reform and Renewal Party that it is to abandon the government led by President Omer al-Bashir. The vice president of the party, Zahaoui Ibrahim Malek, announced the resignation of 14 “executive leaders” of this political movement – four central government ministers and ten representatives of the regional states – at a news conference last night, explaining the decision to break the alliance with the National Congress (NC) of al-Bashir: “We have not found the understanding from NC needed to reach the hoped-for oasis of peace,” he said. Born of a split within the al-Umma Party, al-Umma Reform and Renewal joined the government in August 2002. It leaves the executive at a particularly difficult time for Khartoum, which is grappling with a peace process in South Sudan (a definitive agreement is pending) and with the complex military and humanitarian crisis in the remote western region of Darfur.

“Egypt’s position regarding sanctions against Sudan is clear: Egypt is opposed to all sanctions or UN resolutions in this sense,” presidential spokesman Magued Abdel Fattah said after a series of meetings between the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his Sudanese and Nigerian counterparts, Omar El Bashir and Olusegun Obasanjo respectively, in Cairo at the weekend. “It is not a question of imposing sanctions, but of helping Khartoum to uphold its commitments and the African Union to perform its duty,” he added. The pan-African organisation has already deployed several hundred observers to the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur and it hopes to increase this number to around 4.000; Khartoum is allegedly working to strengthen the tribal leaders and reduce the power of the armed militias. The foreign ministers of Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Nigeria and Libya have also discussed the situation on the basis of recommendations formulated at the five-party summit in Tripoli recently. Meanwhile, the government ‘Sudan Media Centre’ reports that Chad has agreed to mediate between the Sudanese government and ‘National Movement for Reform and Development’ (NMRD), a third rebel group active in Darfur. Two other factions, SLA-M (Sudan’s Liberation Army-Movement) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) – originally local self-defence groups – took up arms in February 2003, accusing the Islamic government of Khartoum of neglecting the region and of backing the Janjaweed militia, which are held responsible for atrocities against the local black African population.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Continuing violence in Darfur is derailing efforts to find a political roadmap out of a crisis that has pitted the Sudanese government against rebel groups for almost two years, delegates at AU-sponsored talks said on Monday. 
The December round of talks in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, was supposed to focus on a political solution to the conflict, which has forced more than 1.6 million people from their homes. 
The AU wanted to have a declaration of principles by the time talks wrapped up on 22 December that would deal with the equitable distribution of power and wealth in Darfur, as well as the integration of all ethnic, cultural and religious groups. 
But mediators have been forced to revisit old sticking points after an escalation of violence has left previous accords in tatters. 
The fourth round of talks formally opened at the weekend but it was only on Monday that the warring parties met face-to-face and then it was just to hear monitors rattle off a volley of ceasefire violations that both sides had committed. 
The AU said on Monday that 13 ceasefire violations had been recorded in September, but that number had leapt to 52 for October, November and the first week of December. 
"The spate of attacks, counter-attacks and retaliation have reached unacceptable levels and require the concrete and specific actions of the parties to end them," said Sam Ibok, chief AU mediator at the talks. 
The violence is continuing despite accords signed by both sides in November to improve security in the western region of Sudan and guarantee aid workers access to civilians caught up in the crisis. 
"It's difficult to see what new progress the sides can make at this round when the limited gains achieved at the last round appear to be unravelling before their very eyes," said Tom Cargill of London-based independent research body, Chatham House. 
Delegates representing both Khartoum and the rebels, demanding a better economic and political deal for Darfur, warned that the violence was poisoning the latest peace meet. 
"The situation is sad and efforts should be exerted to stop the violations and make the atmosphere conducive for negotiations," Mohammed Ibrahim, part of the Sudanese government team, told IRIN. 
Khartoum has accepted responsibility for some of the violations but defends its actions saying that "lawless elements" needed to be cleared from roads to allow aid workers access. The rebels, who have also been blamed for attacks, have demanded that the government pull back its forces from rebel held areas. 
Abduljabbar Dofa of the rebel group, the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement presented an equally bleak view. 
"We need to do some confidence-building to sort this out, otherwise the talks might collapse," he said. 
And even the official AU spokesman at the Abuja talks admitted that earlier achievements like the security and aid access accords, were being thrown into question. 
"It doesn't make sense to have these agreements if they're not being implemented," Assane Ba told reporters. 
Underlining just how much work remains to be done in terms of security and humanitarian access, Save The Children said that two of its aid workers had been killed in southern Darfur on Sunday when their convoy came under fire. The charity said it had suspended operations in the area for the time being. 
The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003 when the rebels took up arms against the government, accusing Khartoum of years of neglect and oppression. The Sudanese government tried to put down the rebellion using an Arab militia, known as the Janjawid, which has also been accused of waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the villagers in Darfur. 
The UN calls Darfur the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Tens of thousands of people have died and about 2.3 million more are in desperate need of aid. 

The Sudanese government has agreed to suspend the military offensive underway in Darfur, the vast western region on the border with Chad that has been the scene of clashes and violence and a resulting humanitarian crisis for almost two years, African Union (AU) mediators at the peace talks in Abuja (Nigeria) said today. The move could pave the way for the resumption of negotiations, which ran aground on Monday after the representatives of SLA-M (Sudan’s Liberation Army-Movement) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) withdrew in protest against recent government attacks. Sam Ibok, head of the AU mediators, stressed that “once it has been ascertained that the government military offensive has been suspended, negations will finally be able to resume”. The crisis in Darfur exploded in February 2003 when two popular self-defence movements took up arms against the government of Khartoum, accusing it of neglecting the region and of backing the militias of Arab predators known as Janjaweed, who have brought death and destruction to the area for years; since then, an unknown number of people have died (tens of thousands according to the United Nations, ‘just’ 5.000 according to the Sudanese government), while over 1.5 million people have been internally displaced and at least 200.000 people have sought refuge in

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The African Union (AU) on Friday strongly criticised Sudan's government and rebel groups for launching attacks in December and late November respectively in the strife-torn western region of Darfur, ahead of a new round of peace talks between the two sides. 
Government troops carried out an attack at the localities of Bilel and Isham on 8 December to "clear roads of lawless elements" around El Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, the AU said in a statement. The attack, however, sparked renewed fighting between government troops and rebel forces, the AU said. 
Alpha Oumar Konare, chairman of the AU Commission, described the violation of the ceasefire agreement between the government and Darfurian rebel groups as "serious and unacceptable." 
The AU's statement came amid preparations in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, for the resumption of AU-mediated peace talks between the government of Sudan and two rebel groups in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). 
In the strongly worded statement, which was released from the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Konare also condemned the rebels for attacks in North and South Darfur in late November. 
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sudan, Jan Pronk, expressed concern on 9 December over the possible negative impact on the Abuja talks of the escalation of violence in Darfur. "This round of negotiations is headed for failure if the parties do not show restraint," Pronk said in a statement. 
George Somerwill, deputy spokesperson of the United Nations Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS), told IRIN by telephone from Khartoum on Friday that, according to the African Union, fighting also took place between government forces and the SLM/A on Wednesday in the town of Thabit, 50 km southwest of El Fasher in North Darfur. 
Somerwill said unconfirmed reports indicated that government helicopter gunships bombed the area, but no information regarding casualties was yet available. 
In a related development, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday that it had written to the current AU chairman, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, urging the pan-African body to speed up its deployment of troops to Darfur and to seek to include the protection of civilians in their mandate. 
"The African Union still has only 900 troops and monitors on the ground in Darfur, and these forces lack the mandate to protect the hundreds of thousands of civilians who remain at risk of attack," Peter Takirambudde, Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in a press release. 
The AU forces "need to secure the rural areas of Darfur as quickly as possible so that 1.8 million people can return home safely and voluntarily," Takirambudde added. 
Despite the insecurity in Darfur, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) managed to deliver more than 22,000 mt of food to nearly 1.3 million people during November, WFP reported on 9 December in a press release. 
The assistance reached more people than were fed in October, when armed clashes, civil unrest and banditry restricted WFP deliveries to only 1.1 million of the 1.6 million Darfur residents confirmed by the food agency to be in need, according to WFP. 
"We are encouraged by our performance in November, but we are still a long way from reaching all those currently in need of assistance in the Darfurs," the press release quoted Carlos Veloso, WFP's Emergency Coordinator for Darfur, as saying. 
Of the three states, North Darfur was hit hardest by hostilities and WFP was forced to suspend operations across large areas there in November. WFP estimated that at least 200,000 people in North Darfur did not receive food assistance in November because of insecurity. 
The war in Darfur pits Sudanese government troops - and militias allegedly allied to the government - against rebels fighting to end what they have called the marginalisation of and discrimination against the region's inhabitants by the state. The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The high number of among dying women in Sudan from causes linked to pregnancy, childbirth and low prevalence of natal care was of serious concern, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Thursday during its annual country programme review in Khartoum. 
"With the current gap in primary health facilities and the overall number of people affected by the emergency, the situation requires additional efforts to meet the current needs," Nimal Hettiaratchy, UNFPA representative for Sudan, said in a press statement. 
The remarks were made during the annual review of the 2002-2006 country programme of the government of Sudan and UNFPA, which focuses on reproductive health, population and development strategies, and awareness on various population issues. 
"UNFPA's main goal is the attainment of Millennium Development Goal No. 5 - the reduction of maternal mortality by 75 percent by 2015," Hettiaratchy told the meeting. "In the Sudanese context, this means that the maternal-mortality ratios have to fall down to 178 per 100,000 live births, from the current nationwide average of 509 per 100,000 live births - still one of the highest in the world," the UNFPA official continued. 
UNFPA said it was contributing to better use of quality reproductive health services and information by the population with a special focus on vulnerable groups like adolescents, youths, internally displaced persons and refugees. For the coming year, "an additional focus is needed on female genital mutilation, adolescent health, HIV/AIDS and family planning," UNFPA Deputy Director Hassan Mohtashami said. 
"This cooperation and aid have had a great impact on the improvement of population and development issues," Yousif Sulaiman Takana, Sudanese minister of international cooperation, said at the annual review meeting. 
UNFPA has responded to the humanitarian crisis in Darfur by opening 3 sub-offices in the region. It has allocated US $1.4 million to start extensive programmes on responsible motherhood, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and gender-based violence. 
The 2005 work plan presented at the review contained 30 projects for which financing worth more than US $44 million is being sought. The minimum requirement considered to meet the emergency was $6 million, including recovery and post-recovery phases in Darfur. 
UNFPA will also further widen its activities to the south, in anticipation of a comprehensive peace deal between the government and the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), expected by the end of the year. 
Takana agreed that the signature of the comprehensive peace agreement would only be the first step in the right direction. 
"This agreement will not ensure the continuity of a long-lasting peace unless we start implementing a comprehensive programme for rehabilitation and development to meet the urgent and long-term needs of the returnees, the internally displaced people, refugees and others, who were affected directly or indirectly by the conflicts and wars," Takana noted. 
To this end, UNFPA has allocated $250,000 in 2004 in support of Sudan's Central Bureau of Statistics to prepare for a comprehensive population census. In 2005, the Population Fund will fundraise $27 million to be used for the preparatory phase of the census, which will cover all of Sudan, including SPLM/A controlled areas. 
"The census is one of the essential tools for maintaining peace, as it provides detailed disaggregated data for fair resource allocation, proper policy planning and, thus, development, " Hettiaratchy explained. 
The war between the SPLM/A and the Sudanese government erupted in 1983 when the rebels took up arms to demand greater autonomy for the south. The peace talks have been held in the Kenyan town of Naivasha since mid-2003 and are expected to be concluded by the end of this year. 
The war in Darfur pits Sudanese government troops - and militias allegedly allied to the government - against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

Representatives of the two rebel movements active in war-torn Darfur resumed talks with the mediators of the African Union this morning. The pan-African organisation, which is trying to find a negotiated solution to a 20-month conflict that has generated a humanitarian crisis of vast proportions, defined the talks as preliminary to the real peace negotiations involving the government delegation this afternoon. However, according to the UN secretary-general’s special envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk, the meeting in Abuja (Nigeria) between SLA-M (Sudan’s Liberation Army-Movement) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) on one side and the government of Khartoum on the other risks getting off to a bad start. Pronk has recently expressed his concern over the recent escalation of violence in Darfur, where independent sources have reported the resumption of fighting and action by both sides. “The reports that are coming out of Darfur represent open violations of the ceasefire undersigned by the government and the rebels in April and of the two protocols signed by both sides in the earlier phase of negotiations. It is clear that they can only have a negative impact on the peace talks,” said Pronk after presenting the Security Council with a report on the situation in Darfur in November, which revealed a clear deterioration in the security situation in the region due to the numerous episodes of violence. Negotiations were suspended on 11 November after the first concrete achievements: the signing of two separate accords, one concerning security and the other concerning the humanitarian situation. So far the crisis in Darfur has claimed an unknown number of lives (tens of thousands according to the United Nations, ‘only’ 5.000 according to the Sudanese government), displaced over 1,5 million people internally and sent at least 200.000 refugees into neighbouring Chad.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The UN Security Council expressed deep concern on Tuesday over the recent escalation of violence in the western Sudanese region of Darfur and called on all parties to the conflict to stop renewed clashes. 
"The members call on all parties to cease all acts of violence and implement provisions of Security Council resolutions," the Council President for December, Algerian Ambassador Abdallah Baali, said in a press statement. 
The call followed a briefing by the UN under-secretary-general for political affairs, Kieran Prendergast, who said the humanitarian situation in Darfur was "dire". He said the number of people affected by the conflict had risen to almost 2.3 million - more than a third of the total population since the November. 
Prendergast said November had been characterised by violence and a marked deterioration in the security situation. The percentage of vulnerable people who could be reached, for example, fell from about 90 to 80 percent due to increased insecurity and the onset of the rainy season. In North Darfur, where tens of thousands were cut off from relief aid, the percentage fell to 67 percent. 
"The SLA [the rebel Sudan Liberation Army] is thought to be responsible for instigating much of the violence, although it has denied this," Prendergast said. 
Aerial bombings by the government in retaliation, if confirmed, would also be in breach of the humanitarian and security protocols signed by all warring parties in Abuja, Nigeria, on 9 November, Prendergast noted. He added that the Sudanese foreign ministry had continued to deny the reports of aerial bombings, despite the African Union (AU) saying it had evidence to that effect. 
He said increased activity by Janjawid and other pro-government militias threatened to plunge Darfur into chaos. 
"The militias have become a destabilising factor, posing a dilemma for existing mechanisms intended to deal with ceasefire violations," Prendergast said. "They are not included in any of the political negotiations, nor are they signatories to the ceasefire agreement. 
"The international community must send an unequivocal message to all Sudanese parties that violence and hostile military actions are not an acceptable means to achieve political gains," he added. "Regrettably, the government has made no progress in disarming the Janjawid." 
Prendergast added that the AU Ceasefire Commission had confirmed it had not been invited, so far, to verify any disarmament activities by the government. 
He praised the efforts of the AU and called upon the international community to provide all the necessary support to enable the AU to increase its capacity in Darfur; so far consisting of only 800 troops and just over 100 military observers for its monitoring and mediating tasks. 
The war in Darfur is between Sudanese government troops and militias allegedly allied to the government, and rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Reports of sexual violence, including rape, have persisted in Sudan's strife-torn western region of Darfur, despite agreements between Khartoum and rebel groups, aimed at improving the security situation in the area, the UN human rights agency said. 
Incidents of sexual assault had aggravated the sense of insecurity among internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) spokesman, José Luis Díaz, told reporters in Geneva on Friday at a briefing on the findings of the agency's monitors in Darfur during November. 
Women and young girls were afraid to leave the camps in some areas and fighting continued to put civilians at risk in various places, Díaz said. He cited the launching of 18 mortars by government forces into the village of Masteri in West Darfur in response to an attack from that region. 
Clashes continued despite accords signed in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on 9 November between the government and two rebel groups - the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement - aimed at improving the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur. 
Diaz said IDPs continued to distrust and fear the police, and that widespread impunity continued, with reports that police still refused to record complaints of attacks. In South Darfur, there was an escalation in the number of forced relocations of IDPs, he said. 
He added that during the reporting period, there were apparently no arrests or trials of members of a militia, popularly known as the Janjawid, who have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. There were also cases of reported abduction of civilians by the rebel SLA in West Darfur, he said. 
Fighting in Darfur started in 2003 when indigenous communities took up arms, accusing Khartoum of decades of neglect and oppression. In its efforts to pacify the region, President Omar El-Bashir's government is widely believed to have backed the Janjawid, an Arab militia accused of subjecting black African villagers in Darfur to brutal attacks. 
About 1.45 million people have been displaced, while another 200,000 are living as refugees in neighbouring Chad. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The Sudanese Vice President Ali Uthman Taha and the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), John Garang, were engaged in high-level talks on Monday in their latest attempt to end two decades of war in the south, officials said. 
The resumption of talks, the officials added, had raised hopes that a comprehensive peace accord between the two parties could be signed before the end of the year, as agreed in a memorandum of understanding signed by them in November. 
"The SPLM/A is optimistic and determined to have a comprehensive peace agreement before the end of the year," spokesman Yasser Arman, who is attending the talks in the Kenyan town of Naivasha, told IRIN on Tuesday. 
"The one-on-one talks between Taha and Garang will go on until Christmas Eve," he added. 
The two leaders arrived to resume high-level negotiations more than a week after delegations from both parties had started discussing details of a permanent ceasefire and technical security measures. 
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, spoke to both Taha and Garang on Monday and Tuesday, urging them "to maintain a constructive atmosphere of compromise," Radia Achouri, spokesperson for the United Nations Advance Mission in Sudan, told IRIN. 
Pronk also met Gen Lazarus Sumbeiywo, the chief mediator of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a regional organisation, which is spearheading the peace process, to discuss the level of progress made so far by the parties towards achieving a comprehensive peace agreement. 
"The political willingness of both parties is there and they are quite optimistic that the outstanding issues will be resolved before 31 December," Achouri said on Tuesday. "They are fully aware of the commitment they made to the international community last month." 
Both parties signed the Memorandum of Understanding at an extraordinary session of the UN Security Council held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 18 and 19 November, pledging to reach a comprehensive peace agreement by the end of the year. 
"The parties declare their commitment to expeditiously complete negotiations on ceasefire agreement and implementation modalities, so as to conclude and sign the comprehensive peace agreement no later than 31 December 2004," the memorandum said. 
The Sudanese state minister in the office of the president, Yahya Hussein Babikar, signed on behalf of the government, while the SPLM/A main negotiator, Nhial Deng, signed for the southern-based rebel movement. 
In May, the government and the SPLM/A had signed six key protocols, covering power-sharing arrangements and the administration of three contested areas during a six-year interim period that will precede a referendum to determine whether the south would remain part of Sudan. 
The main outstanding issues that remain to be resolved include the details of a permanent ceasefire, the financing of the SPLM/A-army during the interim period and the modalities for integrating the fighters into the regular Sudanese army. 
The war in the south erupted in 1983 when the SPLM/A took up arms against government authorities based in the north to demand greater autonomy. Talks have been going on in Naivasha since mid-2003. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Clashes between government troops, armed militias and suspected rebels were reported on Thursday in the western Sudanese state of South Darfur, two days after attacks were reported in neighbouring North Darfur state, relief workers in the region told IRIN. 
The African Union (AU) warned that it might resort to force to protect its peacekeepers deployed in Darfur. AU spokesman Assane Ba told IRIN on Thursday that the current 830-strong peacekeeping force in the region would "not give in to intimidation". 
The warning came after a Chadian AU ceasefire monitor was shot in the shoulder on Wednesday when their convoy came under attack in South Darfur. 
"This is the first time we have come under attack since we arrived in Darfur," Ba said in Addis Ababa. "This is unacceptable. It comes as we are increasing our presence there so we think this may be to intimidate us, but this will not stop us." 
"If they come under fire, then they will shoot back. They have to protect their lives - and they will," he added. 
The latest fighting erupted in a government stronghold southwest of Nyala in South Darfur following shooting at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kalma, UN News reported. There were also reports of tensions in West Darfur around north El-Geneina following an ambush of policemen on Wednesday. 
The latest reports of fighting, relief workers said, had come only a day after aid workers were reported to have started returning to Tawillah, the base of the North Darfur region, where rebels launched an attack last week in violation of ceasefire accords. 
On Tuesday, armed men had attacked a village in the western Sudanese state of North Darfur forcing about 2,000 IDPs to flee from their homes, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported. 
"We are not sure who was behind the attack," Wyger Wentholt, MSF regional information officer told IRIN in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. "What our people on the ground were told by the IDPs was that the attackers were suspected to be a pro-government militia." 
The shooting of the AU peacekeeper occurred as a team of ceasefire monitors were travelling to the village of Adwah in north Nyala, to investigate an alleged bombing by the government in breach of a ceasefire agreement with rebels. 
The AU brokered a peace deal agreement between rebels and the government to end the conflict, signed on 9 November in Abuja, Nigeria. However, there have been several breaches, according to the AU, who have called on both sides to respect the ceasefire agreement. 
Ba said a full 3,320-strong peacekeeping mission, which would cost US $220 million a year, would be in place by early January 2005. A Senegalese and Nigerian contingent is due to fly into the region in the next two weeks, he added. 
Sudanese troops and rebels of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) started clashing just days after the UN Security Council met in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on 18 and 19 November. The Council adopted a resolution demanding that the government, rebel forces and other armed groups in Darfur cease all violence. 
On 22 November, Save the Children-UK flew its staff out of Tawillah as a result of fighting in which the SLA took control of the town. The rebels had previously attacked the West Darfur town of El-Geraida, forced the police to leave and raised their flag. Some 50-60 SLA fighters also attacked a police station near Kalma in South Darfur, killing a policeman. 
On Monday, the UN said the clashes had subsided and several thousand IDPs, who had fled their camps, had returned. A team of UN and AU officials visited Tawillah, where the most intense clashes occurred after government troops took back the town, to assess the situation and try to locate IDPs who had fled their camps. 
Fighting in Darfur started in 2003 when indigenous communities took up arms, accusing Khartoum of decades of neglect and oppression. In its efforts to pacify the region, President Omar El-Bashir's government is widely believed to have backed the Janjawid, an Arab militia accused of committing atrocities against unarmed civilians. About 1.45 million people have been displaced, while another 200,000 are living as refugees in neighbouring Chad. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Armed men attacked a village in the western Sudanese state of North Darfur on Tuesday forcing about 2,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) to flee from their homes, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported. 
"We are not sure who was behind the attack," Wyger Wentholt, MSF regional information officer told IRIN in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. "What our people on the ground were told by the IDPs was that the attackers were suspected to be a pro-government militia." 
MSF, which was providing medical care to the displaced civilians at the time of the attack, said many of those who fled were forcibly displaced from their original home villages several days previously and had sought refuge in Saraf Ayat village, 50 km west of the state capital El-Fasher, at the time. 
"When the MSF team arrived in Saraf Ayat yesterday morning, there were about 1,500 displaced people sheltering in the village," MSF said in a statement. "They had fled their homes three days beforehand, after assaults on 27 November targeted villages north of the town of Tawillah - MSF had just started providing medical assistance when an attack caused both displaced people and residents to flee and forced the MSF team to evacuate." 
According to MSF, its team was forced to evacuate from another town, Korma, a week earlier because of escalating insecurity. The team had, however, returned to Korma on Sunday "to assess the situation and give medical consultations". 
"The fact that people are being forced to repeatedly escape from one place to the next and cannot find a secure place of refuge is extremely worrying," Jerome Oberreit of MSF Brussels was quoted as saying in the statement. "Mortality studies carried out by MSF show that during the early phases of the Darfur conflict, the pattern of repeated violence and consequent displacement was the cause of very high mortality [rates]." 
Meanwhile, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Jakob Kellenberger, has called for respect of international humanitarian law following a visit to the western Sudanese region of Darfur, the ICRC said. 
"Kellenberger's key message was that access to conflict-affected civilians, as well as their security, had to be guaranteed," Marco Jiménez Rodríguez, ICRC spokesperson for Africa, told IRIN on Wednesday from Geneva. 
"Around two-thirds of the population of Darfur is still living in their own communities," Rodríguez added. "If a deterioration in the security situation forces them to flee their homes too, it will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis." 
Kellenberger, who spent three days in Darfur, visited the towns of El-Fashir, Kutum and Zalingei. ICRC said he had, however, acknowledged that access to people affected by the conflict had "improved substantially" since his last visit in March 2004. 
Sudanese troops and rebels of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) clashed just days after the UN Security Council met in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on 18 and 19 November. The Council adopted a resolution demanding that the government, rebel forces and other armed groups in Darfur cease all violence. 
On 22 November, Save the Children-UK flew its staff out of Tawillah as a result of fighting in which the SLA took control of the town. The rebels had previously attacked the West Darfur town of El-Geraida, forced the police to leave and raised their flag. Some 50-60 SLA fighters also attacked a police station near Kalma in South Darfur, killing a policeman. Three SLA fighters also died in that event. 
On Monday, the UN said the clashes had subsided and several thousand IDPs, who had fled their camps, had returned. A team of UN and African Union officials visited Tawillah, where the most intense clashes occurred after government troops took back the town, to assess the situation and try to locate IDPs who had fled their camps. 
The clashes forced the UN World Food Programme to temporarily suspend its operations, except in the state capital El-Fasher, affecting some 300,000 people. The UN said escalating violence threatened ongoing relief activities, violated recently signed ceasefire accords between the government and rebels, and placed tens of thousands of civilians at risk. 
Fighting in Darfur started in 2003 when indigenous communities took up arms, accusing Khartoum of decades of neglect and oppression. In its efforts to pacify the region, President Omar El-Bashir's government is widely believed to have backed the Janjawid, an Arab militia accused of committing atrocities against unarmed civilians. About 1.45 million people have been displaced, while another 200,000 are living as refugees in neighbouring Chad. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The African Union (AU) will launch a fourth round of peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebels in the country's Darfur region, in the Nigerian capital Abuja on December 10, the organisation said in a statement. 
At the previous round of talks in Abuja from 21 October to 10 November, the Sudanese government and the two rebel movements in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), signed protocols on improving security and allowing humanitarian organisations to operate more freely. 
The parties signed a provisional ceasefire agreement in April and a team of AU monitors, backed by a protection force which will eventually number 3,000 troops, has been charged with observing the truce. 
But in practice heavy fighting has continued on the ground. This has so far displaced an estimated 1.4 million people from their homes within Darfur and has sent a further 200,000 fleeing as refugees into eastern Chad. 
The AU statement, issued on Tuesday, said the previous round of talks, chaired by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in his capacity as AU chairman, had laid the groundwork for a draft declaration of principles on the political issues. 
"The (AU) Commission hopes that the next Round will enable the Parties to finalize the Draft Declaration of principles and engage in the substantive discussion of the remaining issues on their agenda," it added. 
Hopes are high at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia that a deal can be struck soon to end the devastating conflict. It began in February 2003 when indigenous communities in Darfur took up arms, accusing Khartoum of decades of neglect and oppression. 
In its efforts to pacify the region, President Omar El-Bashir's government has been widely charged with backing the Janjawid, an Arab militia accused of committing systematic atrocities against unarmed civilians. 
The UN has described the situation in Darfur as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Tens of thousands of people have died. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) have committed themselves to end the 21-year-old war in the south, but relief workers are concerned that mines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) are likely to affect reconstruction efforts in the war-ravaged southern areas. 
According to relief workers, widespread mine and UXO contamination has already discouraged millions of displaced Sudanese from returning to their homes and resuming agricultural activity. It has also affected the delivery of vital emergency assistance. 
"One suspected mine can close down a road or a field for a long time," Stephen Robinson, technical advisor for the Southern Sudan Regional Mine Action Office, told IRIN. In October, for example, 75 percent of food assistance to the region had to be delivered by air because of the poor conditions of the roads and the suspected presence of mines, he added. 
Although the estimated number of mines in Sudan is believed to be smaller than that in some other conflict-affected areas in the world, their impact is high because many of them have been planted in unpredictable ways, rather than as part of larger minefields. 
"According to our latest estimates, there are about 10,000 mine victims in Sudan," Jab Swab, senior technical advisor for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Sudan, told IRIN on 21 November in the capital, Khartoum. "The capacity to provide physical rehabilitation and psychological assistance is very limited, especially in the south." 
Robinson estimated that 80 percent of the casualties in Sudan resulted from explosive remnants of anti-tank mines and 20 percent had resulted from anti-personnel mines. 
"[The] opening up of transport corridors and airfields, to allow for the safe return of displaced people and the delivery of relief aid, are key demining priorities - particularly in the light of the 800,000 to one million people that the UN predicts may come back to south Sudan in 2005, if peace returns," he added. 
Tony Connell, programme manager of the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action estimated that landmines in southern Sudan had affected three million people. 
UN trying to reduce risk 
In anticipation of a peace accord between Khartoum and the SPLM/A, both warring parties invited the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in September 2002 to assist them in creating a national mine action strategy and to jump-start demining efforts in Sudan. 
The accord, expected by the end of the year, could trigger a substantial influx of aid for development and reconstruction into the region. However, since the widespread presence of mines in the area would slow down these efforts considerably, UNMAS is coordinating emergency demining efforts that aim to open up strategic transport corridors. 
"From the moment UNMAS started its operations in Sudan in September 2002, we have received 907 reported cases of deadly mine incidents," Takuto Kubo, external relations officer for the National Mine Action Office told IRIN in Khartoum. "We estimate that 3,000 or more people have been killed by landmines." 
"The main problem we face is a lack of capacity and a lack of access," Kubo added. "There are about 250 deminers for all of Sudan and an average deminer can clear between 10-20 sq mt a day." 
Mine-risk education is a crucial part of the UNMAS mission. In Kapoeta, for example, the need for awareness-raising activities is obvious, as young boys herd their cattle or goats right through suspected minefields, ignoring lines of white and red stones or danger signs marked with skulls. 
Kapoeta is a regional centre in the southeastern state of Eastern Equatoria - about two hours drive from the Kenya border. The town, in the middle of SPLM/A-controlled territory, was occupied by government forces from 1992 until June 2002, when it was recaptured by the SPLM/A after a fierce battle. 
Two years later, the signs of war are still present. About half the buildings in the town are no more than shells with only parts of the walls still standing. Other buildings that are still intact are riddled with bullet holes. 
The town is littered with the remains of tanks, trucks, and armoured vehicles and most of the entrance roads still bear the signs of manholes and makeshift bunkers. 
"Three cows were killed [by landmines] in November," SPLM/A Brigade Commander in the area, Elias Lino, told IRIN in Kapoeta. 
Private firm clearing mines 
A private South African demining company, MECHEM, has been clearing the notorious 90 km of mined road between Lokichokio in Kenya and Kapoeta. Contracted by UNMAS, MECHEM has cleared some 60 mines along this road since February. Its officials said vehicles delivering international aid could now pass safely. 
However, lines of red stones along certain parts of the road remind truck drivers that the safe passage can be dangerously narrow. On 25 September, a truck that tried to go around a deep mud puddle, hit an anti-tank mine next to a newly reconstructed road outside Kapoeta. 
Given the neglected state of most roads in southern Sudan, demining activities have to be integrated with road reconstruction efforts to make them suitable for use by heavy trucks, UNMAS officials said. 
Even when rehabilitation efforts were properly planned and executed, logistical difficulties in such remote locations remain daunting. On 24 November, for example, the Kapoeta region received 87mm of rain in one day, turning a newly constructed road into a thick and muddy mess. MECHEM lost a jeep in a shallow stream, which suddenly turned into a dangerously powerful river. 
MECHEM uses sophisticated demining equipment, including trained dogs, vehicle-mounted, mine-detection systems and vacuum cleaner-type machines to analyse air particles. According to Ritiev Horn, a 35 year-old former South African soldier, the elevated armoured vehicles used in demining were previously used in apartheid South Africa for "riot-control, urban warfare, border-control and during the wars in Namibia and Angola." 
Another demining group working in Kapoeta is Operation Save Innocent Lives (OSIL), which was established by the SPLM/A in 1996 and mainly employs ex-SPLM/A soldiers. Using much less sophisticated equipment, they were clearing a site, planned as a future food distribution centre. 
Akech Atheo, a 37-year-old former SPLM/A soldier from the Upper Nile province, who was released from the SPLM/A to head the OSIL demining team, told IRIN: "OSIL has had one accident so far - one team-member lost a leg in the southern Blue Nile province in 2000." 
Demining and peacebuilding 
Besides making the country safer and facilitating the return of displaced people and the delivery of humanitarian assistance, demining activities help to foster peace. According to relief workers, an important aspect of every peace process is the demobilisation of ex-combatants, which can put a heavy load on already fragile communities. 
"UNDP is employing former soldiers to assist in the demining of community land, which provides them with some money and facilitates their social re-integration into their communities," Swab explained. 
The creation of the joint north-south strategy to deal with Sudan's mine problem has also facilitated the peace process. 
"Former enemies were forced to work together, cross enemy lines into each other's territory to identify and clear minefields and coordinate demining activities in the same area," Robinson told IRIN on 25 November. 
Local people want peace 
"People have been talking about peace for 10 months now," John Deng Duit, ammunitions carrier for the SPLM/A - since he was 14 years old - told IRIN. "It has been too long. It is important that peace comes quickly, otherwise, anything can happen." 
The Sudanese government and the SPLM/A signed a memorandum of understanding on 19 November in which they agreed to conclude a final peace deal by the close of the year. The agreement was signed during a mee ting of the UN Security Council in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. 
The war in the south erupted in 1983 when the SPLM/A took up arms against authorities based in the north to demand greater autonomy. In May, the government and the SPLM/A signed six key protocols in Naivasha, covering power-sharing arrangements and the administration of three contested areas during a six-year interim period that will precede a referendum to determine whether the south would remain part of Sudan. 
Sudan is taking part in the deliberations of a global summit on landmines that opened in Nairobi on Sunday. The summit is reviewing the mine ban treaty, which was formulated in Ottawa, Canada, in 1997 and entered into force in 1999. So far, more than 150 out of 191 UN members have signed. 
ALSO SEE: IRIN Web Special on Humanitarian Mine Action at:
http://www.irinnews.org/webspecials/HMA/default.asp 

The head of the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, yesterday received a telephone call from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) leader, John Garang, on the outcome of the Sudanese peace talks in Cairo, Nairobi and Karen in Kenya. 
The NDA's official spokesman, Hatim al-Sir, told Khartoum based Al-Sahafah that the SPLM leader briefed the NDA leader on the outcome of the proceedings of the technical committee in charge of finding ways of implementing a future peace agreement with the government. 
According to the NDA spokesman, Al-Mirghani said there was not any competition between the three dialogue platforms, i.e. Cairo, Nairobi and Abuja, and described them all as efforts complementing each other in the search of a radical solution to the country's problems. 
Material from the BBC Monitoring Service

The top U.N. envoy to Sudan warned the Security Council Thursday that Darfur could easily descend into anarchy with warlords in control unless African Union troops deploy quickly and peace negotiations speed up. 
Jan Pronk said the 20-month conflict in the vast western region is changing, with the government not in control of its own forces and a leadership crisis within the rebel movements. He accused both sides of violating an April cease-fire agreement and seeking more territory in Darfur, which is about the size of France. 
While there was slow progress on the political front in October, Pronk said, violence and insecurity increased and in recent days "the situation deteriorated and tension rose to a level unprecedented since early August." 
"Fighting is breaking out in more and more places. Parties are provoking one another. Militias are ganging up. Governmental authorities are not able to exert a moderating influence, or they respond with untimely and even counter-productive measures," he said. 
"If this negative trend is not reversed it is a recipe for disaster," Pronk warned. "If the fighting continues crops will fail. Then the whole population of Darfur will become dependent on humanitarian assistance." 
The United Nations has called Darfur the world's worst humanitarian crisis, saying the conflict there has claimed 70,000 lives since March -- mostly from disease and hunger. 
Violence started after two non-Arab rebel groups launched attacks in March 2003. Originally a clash between black African farmers and Arab nomads over the distribution of scarce resources, the conflict has grown into a counterinsurgency in which pro-government Arab militia have raped and killed people and burned villages. 
According to a monthly report from Pronk, which was sent to the council Wednesday by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the estimate of people affected by the conflict rose during September from 1.8 million to 2 million and is expected to continue climbing in the months to come because of growing insecurity. 
The increase stems mainly from the growing number of people who have fled their homes, now 1.6 million, the report said. A further 400,000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance. 
"Darfur may easily enter a state of anarchy; a total collapse of law and order," Pronk warned. "The border lines between the military, the paramilitary and the police are being blurred." 
"Within the rebel movements, there is a leadership crisis. There are splits. Some commanders provoke their adversaries by stealing, hijacking and killing, some seem to have begun acting for their own private gain," he said. 
Pronk warned that "we may soon find Darfur is ruled by warlords" unless rebel commanders start taking responsibility for civilians in their areas. 
The U.N. envoy said the possibility of "survival of the fittest and death for the weakest" can only be reversed by a three-pronged approach. 
Official and self-selected political leaders must be held accountable "for ongoing violations of agreements and further human misery," he said, and armed groups must be told that their rebel status "does not exonerate them from a moral obligation towards their people." 
The expanded African Union force must deploy rapidly to "effectively deter violations," Pronk said, urging the Security Council to consider new ways to increase financial and logistical support to get troops where they're needed most. 
Political negotiations on Darfur and on ending the 21-year civil war between the government and rebels in southern Sudan also must be speeded up "to get a grip on the security situation on the ground," he said. 
The Security Council will be holding a rare meeting on Nov. 18-19 in Nairobi, Kenya, where talks to end the civil war are taking place. Pronk said it offered "an excellent opportunity" to promote robust negotiations. 
On Darfur, he said, the council should press government and rebel negotiators in Nigeria to adopt a declaration of principles and a time frame and detailed agenda for political negotiations by the end of the year. The council should also press for completion of the final stage of north-south negotiations to end the civil war by the end of the year.

Rebels have attacked a convoy of Nigerian pilgrims as it drove across Darfur, killing seven people, the African Union mission said Thursday. 
The rebels ambushed three trucks as they drove through the Khor Tawaila area on Tuesday, said Maj. Mac Dorbi, the Ghanian chief operations officer for the African Union mission in Sudan. 
Dorbi said it was the fourth attack in recent weeks on Nigerian Islamic pilgrims crossing northern Sudan on their way to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. 
Firing Kalashnikov rifles, the rebels killed four pilgrims and two Sudanese soldiers who were escorting the convoy. A fifth pilgrim, a young woman, apparently died of a heart attack, Dorbi said. 
Eight pilgrims were wounded and are being treated in hospital, Dorbi said in a phone interview with The Associated Press in Cairo. 
The official Sudan News Agency reported the attack, but said three people were killed and an undisclosed number of pilgrims were treated in hospital in El Fasher, the capital of north Darfur. 
"We suspect the rebels were the Sudan Liberation Army," Dorbi said. 
Representatives of the SLA could not be reached for comment Thursday. 
The SLA is the larger of two Darfur rebel groups that took up arms against the government in early 2003, accusing Khartoum of neglecting their province and discriminating against Sudanese of African origin. 
When the first truck was attacked, the other two trucks managed to turn around and flee the scene, Dorbi said. Later Sudanese soldiers arrived and captured two rebels, whom they are holding, Dorbi added. 
The soldiers found the first truck had been looted. 
The pilgrims who survived the attack had come to the African Union mission and asked for help, Dorbi said. 
The mission was set up this year to monitor a cease-fire between the rebels and government and allied militia. It is currently being expanded to more than 3,300 cease-fire monitors and troops. 
The conflict provoked a counterinsurgency in which pro-government Arab militia have raped and killed people and burned their villages, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. 
The United Nations says conflict has claimed 70,000 lives, mostly from disease and hunger, and displaced about 1.6 million people.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismail said here Thursday that Sudan would continue cooperation with the United States in war on terror. 
"There are agreements with the US administration on issues related to terrorism," Ismail said in a press statement, adding " the Sudanese government will continue cooperation with the US administration to end what we started." 
"It is not necessary to completely compromise in views with the US administration but we enhance the issues that we agree on to form a starting point," the minister said. 
Ismail said Sudanese President Omar el-Basher had sent congratulation messages to US President George W. Bush on his re- election. 
He added that Sudanese First Vice-President Ali Othman Taha also sent a similar message to his US counterpart Dick Cheney. 
He said the Sudanese leadership also expressed hope in the messages for a better bilateral tie. 
Ismail noted that the government considered the Sudanese-US relations over the last four years as positive. 
"Despite some excitements and tiredness that covered our relations, there were positive sides like the ceasefire in the south of Sudan and the progress in the peace process in Sudan," added Ismail. 
He expressed hope that the two countries would continue cooperation in the coming four years to conclude the peace process in Sudan and enhance development programs in Sudan. 
"Sudan's cooperation with the United States will not be restricted to relations only. We are looking for cooperation in more fields," said Ismail.

The French foreign ministry Wednesday expressed deep concern over the forceful movements of refugees and displaced persons in the troubled western Darfur region of Sudan. 
"If confirmed, such operations violate resolutions 1.556 and 1.564 of the UN Security Council and the agreement between the Sudanese government and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). 
"The agreement indicates that displaced persons should return home voluntarily under IOM supervision," said Anne-Cécile Di Borgo, French Foreign Office spokesperson. 
Di Borgo condemned the repeated violations of the cease-fire, and urged "all Sudanese stakeholders, the Khartoum government as well as the rebel movements, to fully observe the cease-fire agreement". 
"France calls on all Sudanese parties to take advantage of the on-going talks in Abuja, Nigeria to genuinely and positively negotiate," she told a press conference here. 
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the forceful refugee movements by Sudanese authorities in the Nyalla area of southern Darfur. 
In that area, 18 persons have allegedly been kidnapped by the Sudan Liberation Army, one of the two rebel movements fighting the Khartoum government. 
Approximately 70,000 people have been killed in the Darfur war, according to UN statistics, which also indicated that 150,000 others sought refuge in neighbouring Chad due to the fighting between the army and Sudanese rebels.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan has described the Sudanese army’s forced transfer of refugees in camps around Nyala (State capital of South Darfur) as a violation of international humanitarian law. The UN chief has urged Khartoum to cease all transfer operations – which allegedly began yesterday – and to facilitate the return of those people who have been moved to “inappropriate areas”. Yesterday UN and humanitarian sources denounced the progressive deterioration of security around some refugee camps both in the war-torn western Sudanese region and in neighbouring Chad. Tension rose on Monday night after army and local police squads surrounded camps in the Nyala area in response to last week’s kidnapping of 18 Sudanese citizens of Arab origin while they were travelling by bus between Zalingie and Nyala, forcing the UN agencies and humanitarian organisations working in the camps to suspend operations and withdraw their staff. Fred Eckard, UN spokesman, said from New York that after surrounding one of these camps (Al Geer, near Nyala) the army and police began loading people onto 15 or so trucks used in their transfer. The movement of armed men and the arrival of the trucks sent a wave of fear through the remaining inhabitants of the camp; many took flight towards the city. After meeting with the Security Council, the UN special envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk, told journalists that pressure on the internally displaced population in Darfur is ongoing and looks ever more ‘violent’ despite the memorandum of understanding signed by the government. Darfur has been the scene of intense fighting and violence since February 2003, when two local armed self-defence movements created by the local black African population took up arms against the Islamic central authorities of Khartoum, accusing the government of neglecting the region and of backing the ilitias of Arab predators called ‘Janjaweed’, who are seen as the main perpetrators of the violence to have displaced over 1,5 million people within the region and sent a further 200.000 over the border into Chad.

Violence has increased in Sudan's Darfur region and the U.N. Security Council should put more pressure on the government and rebels to stop the fighting, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday. 
Attacks are on the rise on all sides, a new rebel movement has emerged and there has been no verified progress in disarming fighters in the region, as the rebels and the government have promised, Annan said in his latest progress report on Darfur to the Security Council. 
As a result, the 15-nation council "may wish to consider creative and prompt action to ensure effective implementation of the demands set out in its earlier resolutions," he said. 
Previous council resolutions have threatened sanctions if the government failed to meet commitments to end attacks on civilians, rein in Arab militias and prosecute those responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. 
A Nov. 18-19 council meeting in nearby Nairobi, Kenya, will be a major opportunity to discuss next steps, Annan said. 
Darfur, the site of what the United Nations says is the world's worst humanitarian crisis, has been torn by violence since rebels took up arms against the Khartoum government in February 2003, saying it had neglected and marginalized the impoverished region. 
The rebels accuse the government of arming mounted Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, to loot and burn non-Arab villages in a campaign of ethnic cleansing in an area where Arab nomads and mostly non-Arab farmers have fought over resources for years. 
"Political leaders, on any side, who deny the facts on the ground, neglect the sorrow of poor and vulnerable people living in areas under their control and use delaying tactics in negotiations and implementation procedure are acting irresponsibly," Annan's report said. 
"There have been more breaches of the cease-fire. Overall, violence seems to be increasing and impacting civilians indirectly as well as directly," he said. 
Too little is being done to punish those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, which appear to be occurring "on a large and systematic scale," his report said. 
While the vast majority of those battered by the fighting in Darfur are getting food and other aid, many are not and the number of needy is still growing, Annan said.

The top U.N. envoy to Sudan accused security forces in southern Darfur of forcing several thousand people who had taken refuge in a camp to move against their will in "flagrant violation" of international law. 
Jan Pronk [photo] demanded that all those rounded up and forced to leave the El Geer camp at 3 a.m. Tuesday be returned immediately from the Sherif camp, where they were taken. 
"It has to stop -- not only in El Geer but as a policy everywhere," Pronk said, demanding that the government keep its agreement with the United Nations barring the forced transfer of any internally displaced people, known as IDPs. Refugees, in legal terms, are those who have crossed borders. 
The U.N. envoy, who is scheduled to report to the U.N. Security Council Thursday on the situation in Darfur, confirmed that the "overall" security situation in the vast western region -- which is the size of France -- has deteriorated in the last few weeks. 
Pronk said the early morning incident at El Geer, a camp close to the city of Nyala where about 30,000 people have taken refuge, was the most important but "there are other activities also in other places," which he did not disclose. 
At a hastily called news conference, Pronk said "a couple of thousand" people were taken early Tuesday to Sherif, a location "desired by the government" that is outside Nyala and not as desirable for displaced people trying to earn money. 
He said the people who were forced to move from El Geer had "the right to resist." He said he couldn't confirm reports that the Sudanese forces used tear gas, but said there were no reports of injuries. 
While he blamed Sudanese forces in southern Darfur, Pronk left open the possibility that the forced transfer from El Geer was not carried out on instructions from the government in Khartoum. 
But he was clearly outraged that those rounded up in the middle of the night were erroneously told that the United Nations had approved the move. 
"The government has told these IDPs that this was happening in close consultation with the United Nations and in consultation with non-governmental organizations, which is not the case," Pronk said. 
In a statement issued later by his spokesman, Secretary-General Kofi Annan echoed Pronk's words and strongly urged the government "to halt immediately all such relocation operations and to facilitate the return of the affected persons from the inappropriate sites to which they have been taken." 
Pronk said he expected a strong international protest against the forced moves not only by the United Nations and non-governmental organizations working in Darfur but also by the United States and European governments. 
The violence in Darfur began in January 2003 when two black African rebel groups took up arms over alleged unjust treatment by the Sudanese government and ethnic Arab countrymen. Pro-government militias called Janjaweed reacted by unleashing attacks on villages. 
The conflict has killed at least 70,000 people and forced 1.5 million people to flee their homes, creating what U.N. officials say is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. 
U.N. officials said Tuesday's action was in apparent retaliation for the abduction of 18 Arabs by the rebel Sudan Liberation Army. 
Annan urged the rebels to release the hostages and called on the Arab militias who have mobilized thousands in west and south Darfur to "stand down," warning that "the SLA and the militias risk sparking a new round of violence that could claim the lives of thousands of civilians." 
He also urged the parties to respect a cease-fire signed in April.

Sudanese government officials and rebel delegates have welcomed - some cautiously - proposals from African Union (AU) mediators on security in Darfur, which has long been a sticking point between the two sides at peace talks in the Nigerian capital. 
"It does seem to be quite a reasonably fair document," Abdel Rahim Kalil, Sudan's ambassador to Nigeria, told reporters in Abuja on Tuesday. He said the government delegation would hold consultations before giving a formal response to a draft agreement that includes the proposals. 
Mahgoub Hussain, the spokesman for the main Darfur rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), was more emphatic. "It meets all important the things we've been asking for and we'll sign this protocol," Hussain told journalists. 
Under the AU draft agreement, both sides would have to give the location of their forces and Khartoum would have to make good on its pledges to the international community to disarm the Janjawid militia, accused of waging a campaign of slaugher, rape and destruction against people in Darfur. The draft document does not require the rebels to disarm. 
AFP, quoting an independent observer at the talks, said the proposal also included a "ban on undertaking hostile military flights to and in the Darfur region". The rebels have said that government planes have still been bombing villages in the western Sudan region, which is the size of France. 
Failure to agree on a security protocol at the first round of peace talks in Abuja in September scuppered the signing of a humanitarian deal, which would have paved the way for a massive aid intervention. 
On Tuesday the UN Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS) told IRIN that some international relief agencies were scaling down their operations or pulling out altogether because of increased insecurity and rising tensions in the region. 
And Reuters news agency reported that the Sudanese army had surrounded camps of people displaced by the fighting in Nyala, southern Darfur, impeding access for international aid workers. 
The UN estimates that 70,000 people have died from malnutrition and diseases since March and that fighting has forced more than 1.5 million people from their homes since the conflict broke out at the beginning of 2003. 
Both sides are under pressure from the international community to progress along the path to peace, but government officials and rebels continue to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire. 
On Monday the SLA and the smaller Justice and Equity Movement (JEM) had threatened to quit the talks, alleging that government forces had continued launching attacks against their positions despite an existing ceasefire agreement.

Some international relief agencies are scaling down their operations, or pulling out altogether, following increased insecurity and rising tensions in the west Sudanese region of Darfur, the UN Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS) told IRIN on Tuesday. 
"A large number of people among the nomadic communities are extremely angry as a result of a number of recent incidents in the region," George Somerwill, deputy spokesperson of UNAMIS, said. 
"The increased incidence of cattle rustling around the town of Zalingei in west Darfur has upset the nomadic community," Somerwill continued. "The alleged abduction of 15 to 18 young nomadic people of Arabic origin on 26 October has turned these tensions into anger." 
Given the large number of displaced persons in Darfur - who are, to a large extent, dependent on international assistance - the idea of down sizing assistance introduces a grave dilemma. Somerwill did say, however, that the situation was "understandable, given the circumstances". 
Adding to the tension, the Sudanese army has surrounded camps hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) near Nyala in southern Darfur, impeding access by international aid agencies, Reuters news agency reported today. 
Meanwhile, the international relief agency, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), released a report today warning that the violence against civilians in Darfur has been pervasive and ongoing. 
"The leading cause of death for those over the age of 5 years in Darfur was violence, rather than disease or malnutrition, according to all retrospective mortality surveys conducted by MSF through the spring and summer of 2004," the report said. 
In September 2004, MSF completed a survey among the estimated 66,000 IDPs living in Kalma camp in south Darfur. "According to this survey, violence was the cause of 78% of the reported deaths of those aged between 18-49 years," the emergency manager of MSF-Holland, Ton Koene, told IRIN. 
While the violence continues, these IDPs are now faced with a second calamity due to a massive public health crisis induced by a lack of shelter, water, food, proper sanitary environment and access to essential health care. 
"Neither the international community nor the government of Sudan have taken effective measures to ensure the cessation of violence against civilians," the report concluded. "Nor have they provided adequate aid and assistance." 
The war in Darfur pits the Sudanese government troops and militias, allegedly allied to the government, against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. 
The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described the Darfur problem as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

Peace talks between the Sudanese government and the main southern rebel group would resume here in late November aimed at ending Africa's longest-running civil war, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported on Tuesday. 
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Sudanese government would restart their talks on Nov. 27, Yasser Arman [photo], spokesman for the SPLM was quoted as saying. 
The two sides have been engaged in a string of peace talks for more than two years in Kenya. The last round of talks adjourned on Oct. 16 for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. 
The Sudanese civil war, which started in 1983 when Khartoum tried to imposed Islamic sharia law on the mainly animist south, has killed an estimated 2 million people, mostly through famine and disease. 
Oil and ideology have complicated the conflict, which is separate from the war in the western Darfur region that has also brought tremendous international pressure on Khartoum. 
The government and the SPLM appeared to be very close to the finish line at the last round of talks in Kenya. They have agreed on six protocols on key political issues, leaving only technical issues on a comprehensive ceasefire and security arrangements to be hammered out.

Police and military have surrounded three displaced camps in the area of Nyala, capital of South Darfur, one of three States that former the western Sudanese region. The news was referred by MISNA sources, specifying that Sudanese security forces began positioning yesterday after sundown around the camps of Golu, Zalingie and Nertetie. The report was also confirmed by United Nations sources in Geneva, indicating that the security forces today denied access to the camps to humanitarian personnel that bring aid and assistance to the thousands of displaced people gathered in these structures. The WFP (UN World Food Programme) referred that 88 of the 91 aid workers, all members of international Non-Governmental Organisations and UN agencies, were transferred from the three camps. According to some sources, the joint police-military operation was decided in response to the kidnapping of 18 Sudanese of Arab origin, taken hostage last week on a bus between Zalingie and Nyala. Darfur is theatre since February 2003 to fighting and violence and a consequential humanitarian crisis. Two self-defence groups, created by the black stational populations of Darfur (JEM and SLA/M), rose against the central government of Khartoum for neglecting the region and backing the Arab militias (known as Janjaweed). The Janjaweed are widely attributed responsibility for the violence in the region, that based on UN estimates, has caused over 1.5-million people to abandon their homes for the many displaced camps in Darfur and refugee camps in neighbouring Chad. Despite strong international pressures, the peace talks organised by the African Union (AU) in Nigeria appear however to be blocked at the starting point. The African and international mediators last night consigned a new document on security (main point of divergence) to the sides and are attending a reaction. The document reportedly contains some requests made by the rebels (to end “hostile military air operations” by the Sudanese air force) and some by Khartoum (a mapping of rebel positions on the field). Indiscretions indicate that both sides have accepted the document with major satisfaction. While in the past hours, the number has increased of African nations willing to participate in the military mission wanted by the AU to monitor respect of the cease-fire in Darfur. After Nigeria and Rwanda, the first to deploy men on the field, also South Africa, Gambia, Tanzania, Chad and Kenya have placed their soldiers at disposal for the AU mission.

President George W. Bush has extended sanctions against Sudan by a further year. The decision comes on the eve of voting to elect the next President of the United States. Sanctions have been in force against Khartoum since 1997, when they were introduced by the then Head of State, the democrat Bill Clinton, in response to the African country’s connections with international terrorism and its repeated violations of human rights. Bush has reconfirmed the ban on all imports from Sudan and on all dealings by US citizens with the government of Khartoum due to “the actions and policies pursued by the government of Sudan, which continue to present an unusual and particular threat to national security and the foreign policies of the United States”.

The absence of flooding in many parts of southern Sudan has increased the uncertainty over the yield of fish and water lily between November 2004 and May 2005, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) told IRIN today. 
"These wild food sources sustain households during the November to May dry-season, making up at least 50 percent of households' annual food basket in most parts of southern Sudan," FEWS NET's representative for southern Sudan, Everlyn Muchomba, explained. 
The lack of flooding is a result of below average rainfall in many of the catchments of southern Sudan, including the Ethiopian highlands and Lake Victoria. Fish and water lily production is, to a large extent, dependent on the rising water levels as a result of increased water inflow from these catchment areas. 
FEWS NET's Food Security Update for southern Sudan, dated 26 October, observed the reduced availability of these important wild foods could pose a serious threat to food levels when combined with this year's below normal crop performance. The situation is expected to become most critical between January and May 2005 and needs to be closely monitored. 
Improved rains during August and September helped the main crops of sorghum and groundnuts to recover from the June to July dry period in some southern regions. These crops are now being harvested and will slightly improve with the food security situation over the next months. 
However, the rains were not sufficient to offset deficits accumulated during the June to July dry spell, FEWS NET warned. 
A rapid-needs assessment in southeastern Sudan, conducted by the World Food Programme (WFP) during 1 to 20 September, concluded that besides the below-normal rainfall, crop yields had also been negatively affected by inter-ethnic conflicts and reported militia attacks. 
WFP's public information officer, Marcus Prior, who visited the region in late October confirmed the outcomes of the assessment. 
"In the southern Sudanese state of Bahr el Ghazal, the harvest has been very poor this year because of the lack of rain," Prior said. "In addition, a much smaller area than previous years has been cultivated because of hostilities in the region." 
The anticipated return of a large group of former refugees, following the signing of the final peace agreement, could further compromise the delicate food security situation, the WFP report added. 
The WFP assessment recommended that the current level of food assistance, targeted for 860,000 people, had to be extended to cover the hunger period. 
The 21-year war in southern Sudan between the government and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) has displaced an estimated four million people internally, with over 500,000 Sudanese living in neighbouring states as refugees. The bulk of these refugees live in Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya, according to UNHCR. 
However, hope for a peaceful resolution to the southern conflict has grown with ongoing negotiations between the SPLM/A and the government, being conducted in Kenya. In May, both sides signed six key protocols covering power-sharing arrangements. They also agreed to the creation of an administration to control three contested areas during a six-year period, at the end of which, a referendum will be held to determine whether the south would remain a part of Sudan. 
The protocols outlined the arrangement of a decentralised government of national unity and devolution of power to Sudan's individual states. The south would, during the interim period, have its own constitution that would conform with the transitional national constitution. 
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

UNICEF welcomed today the ratification by the President of Sudan, Omar el-Bashir, of two UN Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of Child. 
The Optional Protocols aim at strengthening the protection of children from recruitment into armed forces and from sexual exploitation.
Sudan joins more than 70 other countries worldwide that have ratified both Optional Protocols. Sudan is amongst the first Arab countries to do so. Only six have ratified it, though Kuwait's ratification is imminent. 
The Optional Protocols were adopted by the UN General Assembly in May 2000. One aims at combating the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. 
The second aims at putting an end to the involvement of all children under the age of 18 in armed conflict. The Government of Sudan signed only the Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict in 2002. 
A period of legislative review of both protocols followed. Now, with the President's signature, the two protocols are ratified, which makes them obligatory under international law. 
The two protocols were signed by the President on 11 September, with official notification to the UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child, which monitors the implementation of the protocols globally, on 28 October. 
"We congratulate the Government of Sudan for its commitment to enhance the protection of children's rights in all regions of Sudan," said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF. 
"This is a tumultuous period in Sudan's history and all eyes are on the country. UNICEF views the ratification of the protocols as acknowledgement by the Government of its responsibility to remove children from the fighting forces and to protect children from sexual exploitation and trafficking." 
Various parties involved in Sudan's two decades of conflict are known to have recruited children into their fighting forces, sometimes forced and sometimes voluntary. As recently as April 2004, evidence indicates that children from the Nuer tribe were taken into militias in Bentiu and Malakal, southern Sudan. 
Likewise, although no evidence of systematic forced recruitment has been documented, children are seen among the fighting forces in the troubled western region of Darfur 
Both boys and girls are known to be associated with the fighting forces in Sudan. "Often, combatants take girls as 'informal wives', abandoning them if they become pregnant. Boys are used as soldiers and as servants, sometimes as young as eight years old", said JoAnna Van Gerpen, UNICEF Representative in Sudan. 
Secretary General of the National Council for Child Welfare (NCCW), Dr. Yassir Ibrahim, was satisfied with the President's ratification of the Protocols. "By ratifying the two Optional Protocols, Sudan is confirming its political and moral commitment to child care and protection. 
This commitment emanates from Sudan's traditional religious and social values that are expressed in national legislation in compliance with international and regional instruments related to child care and protection." 
Van Gerpen called on all fighting forces in Sudan to tackle the sensitive issue of children associated with the fighting forces. "This should happen now. It doesn't have to wait for conclusion of the peace agreement," Van Gerpen said. 
"We hope that the task force on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration created last year in the context of the peace talks will be empowered to immediately remove children under 18 years from the fighting forces and reintegrate them into their families and communities."

An estimated 2,000 people, mainly women and children, have entered Uganda during the past three months after fleeing hunger in southern Sudan, local officials in northern Uganda said on Friday. 
"We estimate that up to 2,000 of them have crossed over to Moyo district," Akumu Mavenjina, the Resident District Commissioner in charge of Moyo told IRIN by telephone from Moyo town. 
"Some started moving over following reports a few months ago suggesting that the [rebel] Lord's Resistance Army [LRA] was targeting them in villages and killing dozens of them, but of late there has been increased [people] and many are complaining of hunger." 
She said that many of the refugees who arrived recently reported leaving their homes because of drought-related food shortages. 
"There has been an increased number of arrivals in the past days and our staff are up there are registering them to see how they could be taken to refugee settlements in the region," said Dennis Duncan, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kampala. 
An estimated 185,000 refugees who fled civil war in southern Sudan live in refugee settlements in northern, northwestern and western Uganda.

The situation in the strife-ridden, western Sudanese region of Darfur has not improved during the past month, according to the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk. 
"Darfur remains grim and humanitarian access is limited," Pronk told reporters in Khartoum on Thursday ahead of his visit to New York to report on the Darfur conflict to the Security Council. 
Two rebel groups - the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) - are responsible for much of the recent violence in Darfur, he said. 
The humanitarian situation is also deteriorating, the spokeswoman for the UN Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS), Radhia Achouri, told IRIN on 21 October. 
"The repeated ceasefire violations of the past month have had a very serious impact on the UN's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance to affected populations," she said. 
Humanitarian agencies have had to limit operations in North Darfur State. Following hijackings in the area, UN security has declared the area too dangerous for the transport of aid supplies. 
UN News reported that forces from the SLA hijacked seven commercial trucks on Saturday, about 120 km east of the state capital, Al Fashir. 
For their part, the SLA claimed that the Sudanese air force had been violating the ceasefire by conducting bombing raids on Tuesday and Thursday in Allaiat, a town in eastern Darfur, killing 26 civilians. 
The deputy spokesperson for UNAMIS, George Somerwill, told IRIN on Friday that he was aware of the SLA's allegations, but that the aerial bombardments had not yet been officially confirmed. 
The Sudanese government agreed in July to take steps to disarm the Janjawid militias, who are considered responsible for the majority of attacks against civilians in Darfur. 
Pronk will present a monthly report to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council early next week, on what Khartoum is doing to meet its pledges. 
A Goodwill Ambassador for the Office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Angelina Jolie, told reporters at a press conference in Khartoum on Wednesday that conditions were too dangerous for the region's vast population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to their homes, UN News reported. 
On Thursday, a contingent of 50 Nigerian soldiers arrived in Darfur aboard a US military plane. They are the first reinforcements for the 390-member African Union (AU) mission in Darfur. The mission is to be expanded to 3,320 people by the end of November. 
Human rights groups have called for the AU to protect IDPs, but the soldiers' mandate is limited to protecting ceasefire monitors and safeguarding civilians only if they are under imminent threat. 
The Nigerian troops arrived in Darfur as peace talks in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, continued into a fourth day with little progress. The two Sudanese rebel groups are refusing to sign a humanitarian accord that would guarantee aid workers access to refugees, insisting that the accord be signed along with a security pact that would disarm the Janjawid. 
More than 1.45 million people in Darfur are internally displaced and another 200,000 live as refugees in Chad. 
An estimated 70,000 people have died through disease and malnutrition since March, according to the UN. There are no reliable figures on how many people have killed in the fighting. 

An estimated 2,000 people, mainly women and children, have entered Uganda during the past three months after fleeing hunger in southern Sudan, local officials in northern Uganda said on Friday. 
"We estimate that up to 2,000 of them have crossed over to Moyo district," Akumu Mavenjina, the Resident District Commissioner in charge of Moyo told IRIN by telephone from Moyo town. 
"Some started moving over following reports a few months ago suggesting that the [rebel] Lord's Resistance Army [LRA] was targeting them in villages and killing dozens of them, but of late there has been increased [people] and many are complaining of hunger." 
She said that many of the refugees who arrived recently reported leaving their homes because of drought-related food shortages. 
"There has been an increased number of arrivals in the past days and our staff are up there are registering them to see how they could be taken to refugee settlements in the region," said Dennis Duncan, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kampala. 
An estimated 185,000 refugees who fled civil war in southern Sudan live in refugee settlements in northern, northwestern and western Uganda. 
This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

The African Union (AU) began boosting its peacekeeping force in Sudan's Darfur region on Friday with the arrival of 50 Nigerian troops. A further 237 soldiers from Rwanda are expected to arrive on Saturday to help try and end violence that has driven more than 1.5 million people from their homes, the AU said. 
"More troops from Nigeria and from other African countries are expected to be deployed in the following days," the AU said in a statement from its headquarters in Addis Ababa. The 53-nation AU announced earlier in October that it would boost its force in Darfur from 390 to 3,320 troops and civilian police. 
The force will include 450 unarmed military observers, a major increase from the 80 currently deployed there to monitor a shaky ceasefire between two rebel groups fighting government troops and allied militia. 
An armed security force of 310 troops is protecting the observers. The force will be increased to 2,341. The new mission will also include 815 civilian police officers and 164 civilian staff. 
The US $220-million (?175 million) one-year operation will be funded mainly by the European Union and the United States. 
"These new deployments, together with the 310 military personnel from Nigeria and Rwanda that the AU had already sent to Darfur earlier in August, will bring the military component of the African mission in Sudan to 597 troops," the AU added. 
Darfur's troubles stem from long-standing tensions between nomadic Arab tribes and their African farming neighbours over dwindling water and agricultural land. Those tensions erupted into violence in February 2003 when two African-rebel groups took up arms over what they regard as unjust treatment by the government in their struggle with Arab countrymen. 
An estimated 70,000 people have died since the conflict broke out, according to UN figures. Nearly 1.5 million more have fled to refugee camps. 
American Secretary of State Colin Powell said in July that Sudan's government and allied Arab militia, the Janjawid, had committed acts of genocide against Darfur's non-Arab villagers. 
This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

In a meeting with some local administrators of Darfur, reported yesterday by the national 'Al Anbaa' newspaper, Sudanese President Omar el Beshir accused western nations of fomenting the conflict in the western region of the nation, since February 2003 theatre to fighting and violence that have caused thousands of victims and serious humanitarian crisis with over 1.5-million internally displaced and refugees in neighbouring Chad. President Beshir alleged that some unspecified elements aim to definitively make the crisis “break out” and then defined the international humanitarian organisations operating in Darfur as “enemies”. Since February 2003 two armed groups (JEM and SLA-M), founded as people’s self-defence groups, rose against the central government of Khartoum, accused of neglecting the region because prevalently inhabited by ‘blacks’ and backing the Arab nomad militias (known as Janjaweed), widely attributed responsibility for the violence against the ethnic African non-Arab farming populations.

All member of the military observation mission of the African Union (AU), set to arrive in the next weeks in the west Sudanese region of Darfur, theatre since last year to violence, fighting and a consequential humanitarian emergency, will undergo AIDS tests. The news was reported by the Sudan Media Center, citing the words of Health Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman, who emphasised that the precautionary measure was decided for the “safeguarding of the health of the people of Darfur”. Around 1.5-million residents of Darfur – a partially desert area, as vast as France and that borders with Chad, which in a last census counts a population of nearly 6-million people – were forced to abandon their homes for displaced or refugee camps. The population was forced to flee due to the violence of Janjaweed Arab militias and ongoing fighting that broke out in February 2003 when two rebel groups rose against the central government of Khartoum, accused of neglecting Darfur, because inhabited by black Africans, and of supporting the Janjaweed. The negotiations between the sides resumed on Monday in Nigeria and the AU, promoter of the talks, yesterday referred to have gathered sufficient elements for the drafting of a new protocol on security issues. The document should be presented today to the rebels and government. The negotiations are also centred on the humanitarian and political situations, but the problem of security (i.e. modalities and times for the cessation of hostilities and disarmament) remains the most divergent. Despite increasing international pressures for a rapid solution, the sides remain firm in their stands. The Sudanese government spokesman yesterday accused the rebels of wasting time and having no real intention of negotiating; the combatants instead accuse the government of violating the cease-fire and issued the news, denied by Khartoum, of a new bombing by the Sudan airforce on the city of Allaiat (West Darfur), killing 26.

Following progress in negotiations between the government of Sudan and the rebel group SPLM/A, the anticipated return to peace in the embattled southern Sudan could lead to a further spread of HIV/AIDS, which already affects 2.6 percent of the adult population in the region, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned in a recent report. 
Sharing UNFPA's concerns, the regional adviser on HIV/AIDS for the UN Children's Fund in eastern and southern Africa, David Alnwick, said: "In a nut-shell, southern Sudan is a disaster waiting to happen." 
He added, "Unless something fundamental is done about the situation, HIV prevalence might go up considerably." 
Alnwick explained that increased mobility as calm returns to the region could raise the threat of HIV infection among rural communities, which had remained isolated during the war and retained low infection rates. He feared this could be exacerbated by the lack of HIV/AIDS awareness among the population, coupled with the already high HIV prevalence in some garrison towns. 
HIV/AIDS prevention efforts are also likely to be influenced by social bias, attitudes towards condom use, a poor availability of general health services and a lack of trained counsellors. The health workers, UNFPA added, are often unmotivated, lack the necessary knowledge and are ill supplied with blood-testing equipment to protect them from cross infection. 
The HIV-infection rate in Sudan as a whole is already considered epidemic, according to UNFPA. Ishmael Gulliver of the Sudan Evangelical Mission, which has been running HIV/AIDS awareness-raising programmes in southern Sudan since 2000, told IRIN that the situation in the region was indeed severe. 
"Sudan is on the verge of an HIV/AIDS epidemic," Prof Ali Biely of Ahsad University in Omdurman, near Khartoum, told IRIN. Little was "being done about it because of the urgency of the humanitarian crisis and the need to respond to those that are immediately dying from curable diseases", he added. 
"The fact that many Sudanese will return to their homes from countries where HIV/AIDS rates are high might increase the likelihood of a further spread of the epidemic," UNFPA said in its Sudan newsletter for August. 
It added that while many of the returnees had heard about the disease, access to information on prevention was not universal. 
The head of the HIV/AIDS programmes for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Paul Spiegel, acknowledged the potential risk of an increase in HIV infections in southern Sudan, but strongly urged not to jump to conclusions with regard to HIV prevalence among returning refugees. 
"While it is true that conflict-affected populations and refugees are at greater risk for HIV infection - because of sexual violence and disruption of health services - this doesn't necessarily translate into higher infection rates," Spiegel said. "Actual infection rates are highly context specific. 
"Key factors include the HIV prevalence in the area of origin, infection rates of the population surrounding refugee camps and the time the refugees have spent in the camp." 
In addition, Spiegel said, the increased risk of HIV infection in a time of conflict can be offset by a decreased risk as refugees' mobility is reduced and their level of HIV/AIDS awareness is raised through educational programmes in refugee camps. 
The regional HIV/AIDS adviser for the NGO Save the Children, Rena Geibel, confirmed the mixed picture with regard to HIV rates among conflict-affected populations. 
"In eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo], sexual violence is so widespread that the region now has a higher prevalence rate than the country as a whole". In contrast, chronic conflicts in Sierra Leone, Angola and southern Sudan actually kept HIV infections at a lower rate than otherwise would have happened. 
In Kakuma camp in northwestern Kenya, home to about 60,000 Sudanese refugees and 20,000 refugees from other countries, a UNHCR study found the infection rate in 2002 to be five percent, while in the nearby town of Lodwar, Kenya it was 18 percent. Although significantly lower than the surrounding population in Kenya, the infection rate of refugees in Kakuma seems slightly higher than the infection rate of 2.3 percent among pregnant women in the southern Sudanese towns of Rumbek and Yei, as revealed in a 2003 survey from the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. 
Rather than perceiving the return of Sudanese refugees as a potential risk for increased HIV infections in southern Sudan, both Geibel and Spiegel prefer to see the return of refugees as an opportunity. 
"Given the lack of information and well-functioning health services in south Sudan, the returning refugee population - who have been educated about the risks of HIV/AIDS and some who have been trained as health-workers or nurses - might actually help to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in southern Sudan," Geibel said. 
The programme manager for south Sudan of Save the Children-UK, Patience Alidri, confirmed the increased level of HIV/AIDS awareness among many returning refugees, but was more sceptical about its effects. "Increased awareness does not necessarily lead to changes in actual behaviour," she said. "Behaviour doesn't change overnight." 
Conflict in Sudan has displaced millions of people and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing across borders. In the south, a 21-year war between the government and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) has displaced an estimated four million people internally, with over 500,000 Sudanese living in neighbouring states as refugees. The bulk of these refugees live in Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya, according to UNHCR. 
The conflict in the western Darfur region, between the Sudanese military - supported by Janjawid militias - and rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state, has displaced about 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. 
However, hope for a peaceful resolution to the southern conflict has grown with ongoing negotiations between the SPLM/A and the government that are going on in Kenya. In May, both sides signed six key protocols covering power-sharing arrangements. They also agreed to the creation of an administration to control three contested areas during a six-year period, at the end of which, a referendum will be held to determine whether the south would remain a part of Sudan. 
The protocols outlined the arrangement of a decentralised government of national unity and devolution of power to Sudan's individual states. The south would, during the interim period, have its own constitution that would conform with the transitional national constitution. 
Analysts believe the negotiations in Kenya, which resumed two weeks ago, could be successfully concluded in the near future. The conflict in Darfur, however, could take longer to resolve, analysts noted, delaying the return of the refugees in Chad. 
On Wednesday, Sudan's Ministry of Health announced that African Union (AU) peacekeepers entering Sudan to monitor the ceasefire in Darfur would be screened for HIV. According to the Sudanese Media Centre, Health Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman said every member of the AU contingent would have to produce a certificate proving they were not HIV-positive. 
Osman noted that the measure was purely precautionary and aimed at "safeguarding the health of the people of Darfur". 
The AU is expected to deploy more than 3,000 troops from five countries over the next few weeks in an expanded mission aimed at containing the Darfur conflict. 
On the Net: 
PlusNews special report on HIV/AIDS in Southern Sudan:
 http://www.plusnews.org/webspecials/PNsudan/default.asp

Almost 22 percent of children under the age of five in Darfur, western Sudan, are malnourished and close to half of all families do not have enough food, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) told IRIN on Tuesday. 
The situation was particularly serious among internally displaced persons (IDPs), according to a comprehensive nutrition and food security assessment conducted in August and September among IDPs and other Darfur residents. Results of the survey, conducted by WFP in collaboration with other agencies, were released on Tuesday. 
At the time of the survey, food aid already played a critical role by reaching 70 percent of households among Darfur's 1.45 million IDPs and 20 percent of resident households in conflict-affected areas, WFP said. A total of 24 percent of IDPs were found to be critically short of food. 
"The situation is extremely worrying", Peter Smerdon, spokesperson of the WFP, told IRIN. "The malnutrition rate for children in Darfur under the age of five is 21.8 percent - a figure well beyond the 15-percent rate regarded as indicating a serious situation - and a total of 3.9 percent of children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. 
"What is most alarming", Smerdon added, "is that none of the seriously malnourished children of families we surveyed received the therapeutic care they needed at special feeding centres. Besides a problem of capacity, we also found that many women with sick children simply did not know that these centres exist." 
The assessment mission recommended the provision of life-saving, general food rations for 94 percent of IDPs and in addition, supplementary feeding for all children under five and all pregnant and lactating women. 
However, the report added that increasing food aid alone could not reduce malnutrition. A basic minimum public-health package, including adequate supplies of clean water and medicine, needed to accompany food and nutrition aid. 
The survey was conducted in the three Darfur states - Northern, Southern and Western Darfur. WFP collected data on more than 5,000 people at 56 sites in collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the US and UK branches of Save the Children. It was also supported by Sudan's Ministries of Health and Agriculture and its Humanitarian Aid Commission. 
In September, WFP fed more than 1.3-million people in Darfur, representing 78 percent of conflict-affected people in areas accessible to UN agencies at the time, the UN agency said. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) fed approximately 100,000 other people in areas of Darfur rated as 'no-go' by UN Security. 
An ICRC assessment team, which had evaluated the food security situation in 20 rural villages in September, concluded that rural communities across Darfur were facing a food crisis that could be worse than the famines that hit the region in the 1980s and 1990s. 
The ICRC team reported that agriculture had collapsed, and a combination of insecurity and drought had destroyed traditional coping mechanisms of communities in Darfur. In many cases, farmers' seeds and tools had been looted and their cattle stolen. 
On Tuesday, Japan decided to offer US $11.5 million in grants to help refugees affected by the conflict in Darfur. The money will go to four international organizations, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF, and is meant for the improvement of the hygiene and medical conditions of IDPs in Darfur and others who fled to Chad. The Japanese Foreign Ministry is also considering food aid and assistance aimed at increasing local food production. 
The war in Darfur pits Sudanese government troops and militias allegedly allied to the government against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. 
The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described the Darfur problem as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 
The full nutrition and food security report is available online at: 
http://www.wfp.org/crisis/sudan and http://www.cdc.gov/ncih/ierh 
The ICRC report can be found at: http://www.icrc.org/ 
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
(IRIN, Nairobi, 27 October 2004)

African posting for security Council, senator Danforth reappears 

The United Nations (UN) Security Council has approved the plan to hold a special session in Africa entirely dedicated to the question of Darfur. UN sources state that the historic event – the one precedent dates back to Panama in 1973 – will be held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on 18 and 19 November. The special meeting of the 15 council members will centre on the situation in the war-torn western region of Sudan, the scene of fighting and violence since February 2003 and of a major humanitarian crisis. “This is not just a symbolic gesture. It is a deliberate choice aimed at boosting the peace process in Sudan and it is an opportunity for the Security Council to demonstrate to all parties involved that the international community has no intention of letting up,” Senator John Danforth, who will take over the council’s rotating chairmanship next month, told reporters. Danforth is a veteran of African affairs and particularly of matters concerning Sudan; he was the architect of the so-called ‘Danforth Plan’ that paved the way for the agreement between the government of Khartoum and the southern separatists for the distribution of power and oil revenue after over 20 years of civil war.

The actors in the crisis in the war-torn western region of Darfur returned to the negotiating table this morning for the second day of talks organised by the African Union (AU) in the Nigerian capital Abuja. Diplomatic sources report that today both the government of Khartoum and the two armed rebel movements active in Darfur (JEM and SLA-M) must present a plan for a political solution to the crisis. The spokesman for the government delegation announced part of its proposal in advance; this allegedly contemplates greater autonomy for the different regions of Darfur within a federal system. The AU would have liked the sides to meet to discuss security matters today, but the rebels rejected this proposal, preferring separate meetings with the mediators. Today the pan-African organisation also decided to exclude two previously unknown self-proclaimed rebel groups in Darfur from the talks after they asked to participate yesterday. Meanwhile, this morning the European Union officially approved the allocation of 80 million euro for the AU monitoring mission in Darfur, announced by the EU ‘foreign minister’ Javier Solana at the weekend

Sudanese-rebel leader John Garang said on Friday he hoped a final peace deal between his insurgents and the government of Khartoum would be concluded before the end of the year. 
Speaking at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he said peace talks in Naivasha, Kenya, paved the way for a final peace deal. He also said the talks could help bring calm to the Darfur region in western Sudan, where the UN estimates 70,000 people have lost their lives as a result of a conflict that began early last year. 
Garang's Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and the government are currently working out the final details of a peace deal to end a 21-year fight for control of southern Sudan. "It is a political framework for the whole country," said the SPLM/A leader, who is in Ethiopia for a five-day visit. 
"I believe the completion of Naivasha [peace talks] and its implementation, puts in place in Khartoum a new government and creates a new political dynamic in Khartoum. "The solution to Darfur is actually through Naivasha." 
Garang said an interim solution could be found in Darfur if the rebels and government stopped fighting. 
The rebel leader held three-hour talks with the AU chairman, Alpha Oumar Konare about the on-going peace talks in Naivasha, Kenya. He also met visiting European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana. 

Peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebels in the country's Darfur region resumed in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Monday, four days behind schedule, with neither side appearing to budge from their already stated positions. 
Rebels of the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) and its ally, the Justice and Equity Movement (JEM), continue to insist on resolving what they call "security issues" before signing a protocol on humanitarian assistance. 
The humanitarian protocol was agreed in principle by both sides during the previous round of peace talks in Abuja in late August and early September, but the rebels refused to sign it. 
They are demanding the immediate disarming of the pro-government Janjawid militia movement, which draws its members from tribes of Arab nomads. The Janjawid have been blamed for repeated attacks on black African civilians in Darfur which the United States has condemned as genocide. 
However, Khartoum is insisting that the rebels disarm first. 
African Union (AU) mediators believe the signing of the humanitarian agreement would open the way for a massive international relief effort in Darfur, a semi-arid region the size of France, to deal with what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian disaster. 
The United Nations said last week that a third of Darfur's six million population now required relief assistance following a 10 percent increase in the number of needy people during September. 
It estimated that 1.6 million people had been internally displaced within Darfur and that a further 400,000 victims of the conflict required aid to be brought to them in their homes. 
The UN refugee agency UNHCR warned that unless the situation in Darfur were stabilised soon, tens of thousands more refugees could cross into the semi-desert of eastern Chad, where 200,000 have already sought shelter in refugee camps. 
An estimated 70,000 people have died from hunger and disease as a result of the two-year-old conflict, apart from those who have been killed in fighting. 
The peace talks in Abuja were originally due to resume last Thursday, but their start was delayed until Monday because of the late arrival of many rebel delegates. 
"For now we're just holding preliminary talks with both sides to work out an agenda for the talks," an AU official told IRIN. "How well we do it might indicate how well the talks will go," he added. 
Diplomats are worried that the onset of the dry season will see an upsurge in fighting in Darfur, in defiance of a widely disregarded truce that was agreed in April. 
The recent emergence of two new rebel groups in Darfur who are not represented at the Abuja talks has meanwhile cast doubt on the ability of the delegates attending the peace conference to negotiate an agreement that will really stick. 
The United Nations has demanded that the Sudanese government rein in the Janjawid, accusing the Arab militia force mounted on horses and camels, of committing atrocities against unarmed civilians. 
But it has stopped short of accusing the Janjawid and the authorities in Khartoum of genocide. 
Last week, the AU agreed to upgrade its team of 150 ceasefire monitors in Darfur backed by a 300-strong protection force into a military force of more than 3,000 men with an extended mandate to protect humanitarian operations and deter armed groups from attacking civilians. 
Javier Solana, the external relations commissioner of the European Union, said during a visit to the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on Saturday that the EU and its member states would contribute more than US$100 million towards the $221 million estimated cost of fielding this enlarged force. 
Said Djinnit, the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, told Reuters on Monday that the first reinforcements of Nigerian and Rwandan troops would be flown into Darfur later this week. 
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

Jan Pronk, the UN special envoy to Sudan, met with Sudan's Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail on Thursday to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the United Nations Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS), told IRIN on Friday. 
"Ismail provided Pronk with an update on the measures the government of Sudan had taken to end impunity in Darfur," Achouri said. "A number of people, including Janjawid militia, have been arrested, while 70,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur were claimed to have been repatriated." 
She said that Pronk took note of the number of people who had been returned to their homes, but he needed more information to establish whether this had occurred on a voluntary basis. 
"He was particularly concerned that neither the UN High Commissioner for Refugees nor the UN Organisation for Migration had been consulted prior to the repatriation, as had been agreed upon earlier," Achouri added. 
In response, the government of Sudan invited the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Manuel Ananda da Silva, to verify the repatriation process on the ground in Darfur. 
It was the last joint-implementation meeting before the UN special envoy was due to give his monthly report to the UN Security Council on Darfur. On the basis of this report, the Council will decide whether further international actions are necessary. 
The African Union (AU) agreed on Wednesday to boost the number of peacekeepers in Darfur and to send in a civilian police force, Said Djinnit, head of the AU's Peace and Security Council, told reporters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. 
The deployment of the armed force, which would number over 3,000, was expected in a matter of weeks he said. The one-year mission would be made up of 2,241 troops, of whom 450 would be military observers, and 815 civilian police. There would also be 164 support staff. The AU currently has fewer than 400 troops in the region. 
Djinnit told reporters that the exact rules of engagement for the AU force had yet to be drawn up. The force would also investigate violations of the humanitarian ceasefire and provide a visible military presence to stop armed groups like the Janjawid militias from attacking civilians. 
Achouri called the decision of the AU "a real break-through" and she said to be "very hopeful that the new AU forces, with an expanded mandate, will lead to real change on the ground in Darfur". 
The war in Darfur pits the Sudanese government troops and militias allegedly allied to the government against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. 
The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad.

Representatives of the Sudanese government and the two rebel movements active in Darfur, the western region along the border with Chad theatre to fighting and violence since February 2003, resumed the formal talks organised by the African Union (AU) this morning in Nigeria. As referred by the press, the AU envoy in Sudan, Hamid Algabid (who is also presiding the negotiation phase), met separately behind closed doors with the two delegations, presenting them two protocols: one on the humanitarian situation and the other on security. Today’s talks in Abuja are the second round of negotiations begun in August and, according to mediators, should last at least three weeks. Both the government of Khartoum and the rebel groups, at least in words, in the past days expressed willingness to resume the talks to seek a negotiated solution to the Darfur conflict and consequential humanitarian emergency. The JEM and SLA/M last year rose in arms against the Arab Sudanese government for neglecting the region because inhabited prevalently by black African ethnic groups and supporting Arab Janjaweed militias, unanimously attributed responsibility for the violence in the region. The Darfur crisis has resulted in over a million displaced and refugees, claiming thousands of victims (there are divergent estimates).

The European Union (EU) is to pay more than half the cost of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region, EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said on Saturday. 
Solana said the 25-member body would approve the funding on Monday to support an enhanced AU-peacekeeping mission in Darfur. 
"Given the situation in Darfur, this mission has to be a success," Solana told journalists after a meeting in Addis Ababa with Alpha Oumar Konare, the chairman of the AU Commission. 
"The African Union is going to be a success with the cooperation of the international community," said Solana, who was on a two-day visit to Addis Ababa, where the AU has its headquarters. 
"I would prefer to see how we solve it before we go into a definition of what it is," Solana said when asked whether he would describe the violence in Darfur as genocide. 
The AU's Peace and Security Council agreed Wednesday to increase its protection force in Darfur from 390 to over 3,000 troops and civilian police in an effort to end attacks against civilians by armed groups. 
The one-year mission will be made up of 2,241 troops, of which, 450 will be military observers, and 815 civilian police. There will also be 164 support staff. 
Currently, some 300 Rwandan and Nigerian troops are already in Darfur to protect some 80 observers already on the ground. 
The 53-member AU describes the new mission as a "peacekeeping operation". It is mandated to "protect civilians whom it encounters [and who] are under imminent threat", but the AU has emphasized that the protection of civilians is the primary responsibility of the Sudanese government. 
The pan-African body estimates that its expanded operation in Darfur would cost US $221 million for one year. 
"Since the approval on Wednesday of the AU's new plan, we have also in the EU agreed on the amount of money that we are going to deploy to help in the operation," said Solana. "We are going to put about 100 million dollars from the EU and when you add that to what the member states are going to do - you will have more than half of the operational cost. We are very pleased to say that." 
In addition to the EU funding, Britain has pledged to contribute $25 million to the AU mission, Solana said. 
The strengthened force led by Rwandan troops should be in Darfur by early next month. 
According to the UN, an estimated 70,000 people have died and 1.5 million have been forced from their homes in the Darfur crisis, which began in February 2003. 
The war in Darfur pits the Sudanese government troops and militias, allegedly allied to the government, against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. 
The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. 
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

The African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in the war-torn remote western region of Darfur is to receive almost 80 million euro, the high representative for foreign policy of the European Union (EU), Javier Solana, has said from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where the AU has its headquarters, ahead of an official visit to Sudan. The European ‘foreign minister’ said that the European Commission is due to vote on the financing on Monday, adding that it could decide to allocate up to half of the 200 million euro needed to cover the cost of the mission. Solana explained that the money would come from the EU peace fund, which includes 300 million euro destined for the AU. Just last Wednesday, the pan-African body approved an increase of the monitoring force already present in Darfur from 300 to almost 3.500 men (civilians and soldiers). The operation is due to last a year; it is not clear if it will have only a monitoring role or if it will be transformed into a genuine peacekeeping mission. In February 2003, two rebel groups, SLA-M (Sudan’s Liberation Army-Movement) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement), took up arms against the Islamic government of Khartoum, accusing it of neglecting the region because it is inhabited mainly by black Africans and of backing the gangs of Arab predators (known as Janjaweed) who are unanimously considered the main perpetrators of the violence in the region. Over a million people have been forced to leave their homes due to the crisis in Darfur, while thousands of people have been killed.

The number of ceasefire breaches in the Darfur region in western Sudan increased considerably during September and early October, Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the United Nations Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS), told IRIN on Thursday. 
"Since the ceasefire was signed in April this year, we have not experienced a period of absolute compliance with it," Achouri said. "But, the repeated ceasefire violations of the past month have had a very serious impact on the UN's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance to affected populations." 
Achouri mentioned that the United Nations had received reports of a heavy aerial bombardment in North Darfur, but were awaiting official confirmation of the incident by ceasefire monitors of the African Union (AU). 
In another confirmed incident, suspected rebels of the Sudanes Liberation Army attacked government positions near Kutum in North Darfur on 19 October, she said. A number of injured people were admitted to a nearby Red Cross clinic. 
The AU agreed on Wednesday to boost the number of peacekeepers in Darfur and to send in a civilian police force, Said Djinnit, head of the AU's Peace and Security Council, told reporters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. 
The deployment of the armed force, which would number 3,320, was expected in a matter of weeks. The one-year mission would be made up of 2,241 troops, of whom, 450 would be military observers and 815 civilian police. There would also be 164 support staff. The AU currently has less than 400 troops in the region. 
Achouri called the decision by the AU "a real breakthrough", saying she was very hopeful that the new AU forces, with an expanded mandate, would lead to real change on the ground in Darfur. 
The deteriorating security situation in Darfur and its impact on humanitarian operations and the safety of aid workers will be further discussed at a meeting between the top UN envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk, and Sudan's foreign minister, Mustafa Osman Ismail. 
The war in Darfur pits the Sudanese government troops and militias, allegedly allied to the government, against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described the Darfur problem as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

Though they will only take off on Monday due to the many absences, negotiations have formally opened between the protagonists of the crisis in Darfur, West Sudanese region since February 2003 theatre to fighting between rebels and government troops, provoking a serious humanitarian emergency. A brief ceremony was held last night in Abuja, the Nigerian city chosen to host the talks by the African Union, for the few delegates present, given that many of the protagonists have not yet arrived in Abuja. The AU special envoy in Darfur, Hamid Algabid, who is presiding this phase of the negotiations, indicated that this new round of talks will last three weeks and will above all be centred on the humanitarian aspect and the signing of an apposite protocol already defined by the sides at the start of September. At least in words, both the government of Khartoum and two rebel groups of the region have expressed willingness to resume dialogue to seek a negotiated solution to the crisis. The JEM and SLA-M rose against the Sudanese Arab government for neglecting the region because inhabited predominantly by black African ethnic groups and of backing the Arab Janjaweed militias, unanimously attributed responsibility for the violence in the region. The Darfur crisis has resulted in over a million displaced and refugees and thousands of victims (there are divergent estimates on the exact toll).

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, has appealed to the international community and particularly to “governments with capacity to help” for over 200 million dollars to tackle the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn Darfur region in western Sudan, where well over a million people displaced by fighting and violence are dependent on the UN and non-governmental organisations for their survival. Speaking during a recent visit to London, Annan went on to say that on the security side, the deployment of an African Union contingent over the next few weeks “will make quite a lot of difference”. Meanwhile, it seems that the negotiations between the Sudanese government and the two armed rebel groups active in the region, which were due to resume in Abuja (Nigeria) today, have been postponed by at least a couple of days for logistical reasons; not all the representatives of SLA-M (Sudan’s Liberation Army-Movement), the main rebel group in Darfur, have reportedly arrived in the Nigerian capital. Some news sources suggest that the talks could be postponed until after the month of Ramadan, which is due to end towards the middle of November. Meanwhile, the African Union, which is mediating the Abuja negotiations, has decided to increase the monitoring force in Darfur from 300 to 3.500 civilians and soldiers. The operation, which is being financed by the United States and the European Union, is mandated for a year. In February 2003, SLA-M and JEM (Justice and equality Movement) took up arms against the central Islamic government of Khartoum, accusing the authorities of neglecting the region and of failing to protect the local black African population from raids by gangs of Arab nomads, or Janjaweed, who are considered close to the government.

Sexual violence and rape of women and girls in the western Sudanese region of Darfur should be considered a war crime, Pamela Shifman, a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) adviser on violence and sexual exploitation, was reported as saying on Tuesday. 
"The perpetrators must be held accountable. There are Sudanese laws against rape and there are Sudanese courts, and they have to be used," Shifman, who visited the region last week, said. 
Shifman told UN News that she had heard dozens of harrowing accounts of sexual assaults - including numerous reports of gang-rapes - when she visited internally displaced persons (IDPs) at one camp and another settlement in North Darfur State.  "Rape is used as a weapon to terrorize individual women and girls, and also to terrorize their families and to terrorize entire communities. No woman or girl is safe. It is a very effective tool of war. It is a war crime," UN News quoted her as saying. 
Shifman said every woman or girl she spoke to had either endured sexual assault herself, or knew of someone who had been attacked, particularly when they left the relative safety of their IDP camp or settlement to find firewood. "They know this is a treacherous trip and they fear the trip. But they have absolutely no choice; they must go out," she said. 
Warning that experience had showed that whenever there was sexual violence during war, sexual health problems followed, she said UNICEF was concerned that some of the women and girls who had been raped could endure unwanted pregnancies, or contract sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. 
The UN mission in Sudan reported on Monday that the security situation had remained tense in Darfur. It said there had been incidents including possible ceasefire violations, an attack on a village, another on a relief convoy, militia activities and rape cases. 
"The situation has remained extremely tense over the past days," Radia Achouri, spokesperson for the UN Advance Mission in Sudan, had told IRIN. 
According to Achouri, relief workers had been harassed in separate incidents in North Darfur State either by suspected government soldiers and Janjawid militias, or by rebel fighters from the Sudanese Liberation Army. 
In London on Tuesday, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged support for African Union (AU) efforts to bolster its monitoring and protection presence there. He called on all sides to respect the ceasefire and take measures to protect civilians, even before the arrival of AU troops. 
Annan had earlier this month, given the planned expansion of the AU's current 350-strong group of monitors, recommended that the AU force be given the power to protect IDPs and refugees, including those living in makeshift camps, monitor the activities of the local police, and disarm fighters, including the Janjawid militias accused of committing most of the attacks against civilians. 
The conflict in Darfur between the Sudanese military supported by Janjawid militias, and rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of the region, has displaced about 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has called the crisis in Darfur one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

Rural communities across western Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region are facing a food crisis that could be worse than the famines that hit the region in the 1980s and 90s, an assessment team of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said. 
The team evaluated food security in 20 rural villages across Darfur in September and concluded that agriculture had collapsed, and a combination of insecurity and drought had destroyed traditional coping mechanisms of communities in Darfur. In many cases, farmers' seeds and tools had been looted and their cattle stolen. 
Commenting on the ICRC findings, Peter Smerdon, spokesperson of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Nairobi, told IRIN: "An estimated 1.89 million people are currently in need of food aid in Darfur." 
He said that WFP had managed to deliver food to an estimated 1.3 million people, although the agency intended to reach two million by the end of the year. "We expect the number of people in need of food assistance to rise," said Smerdon. 
Farmers had resorted to using what little income they had to buy food from the local markets, ICRC said, adding that the trend had led to a dramatic rise in the price of food. Millet and sorghum, for example, were now two or three times more expensive than they were last year. 
Many families were now relying on wild food, the ICRC report added. The ICRC assessment team reported that in some cases, wild food constituted as much as 85 percent of people's food intake. Villagers also risked being attacked by armed groups when they went to gather wild foods in the bushes. 
Smerdon said WFP was awaiting the results of the first comprehensive inter-agency survey on food security and nutritional needs across Darfur. The findings of the survey, carried out in August and September by WFP, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Children's Fund, Save the Children and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were expected next week. 
The survey, Smerdon added, would "produce the most accurate numbers on the need for food assistance in Darfur so far - covering the needs of the rural communities as well as those of internally-displaced people". 
The United Nations said on Monday it had continued to receive reports of attacks against internally displaced persons and harassment of relief workers in Darfur. 
Radia Achouri, spokesperson for the UN Advance Mission in Sudan, told IRIN that relief workers had been harassed in separate incidents in North Darfur State, while, on 5 October, unidentified assailants raided Tasha in South Darfur, killing two people and wounding nine. 
The war in Darfur pits the Sudanese government troops and militias, allegedly allied to the government, against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. 
The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described the Darfur problem as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.  The ICRC report can be found at: http://www.icrc.org/ 
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

The brief African Summit held in Tripoli on Darfur, concluded during the night, resulted on a call for the rebel groups of the west Sudanese region, JEM and SLA-M, to immediately sign a “humanitarian accord” undersigned in September with the government of Khartoum. The signing is proposed for October 21 in Abuja, Nigeria, where based on the closing statement of the summit, the negotiations suspended last months should resume. The rebels have so far refused to sign, blocking negotiations opened on security issues. The Tripoli summit, participated by Libya, Egypt, Nigeria, Chad and Sudan, also firmly rejected “any foreign interference” in internal Sudanese affairs, to avoid stabilisation efforts being jeopardises. Olu Adenij, Foreign Minister of Nigeria, which holds the acting presidency of the AU (African Union), however added that consultations were held with the United States and EU (European Union) for economic, financial and logistic assistance (US planes for troops transport). Egyptian presidential spokesman Magued Abdel Fattah underlined that the international community must offer Sudan “assistance in implementing its compromises as opposed to exercising pressures and threats”. On September 18 the UN Security Council threatened oil sanctions against Khartoum if it did not commit to restoring peace in Darfur. According to Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mustafá Osman Ismail, the summit has sent a clear message to the rest of the world, that “Africa wants to assume its responsibilities and rejects foreign interference”. A few hundred African peacekeepers are already in Darfur - 300 Nigerians and Rwandans according to some sources, 500 according to others – and at least another 800 are expected to arrive before the end of October, later totalling at a number of at least 4,500. Three-hundred Rwandans expected to arrive yesterday will not be in Darfur for at least a week, apparently due to the fact that their base-camps were not set up in time. Since the outbreak of the conflict in March 2003, the Darfur issue emerged - straight after the announcement of the peace accord between Khartoum and separatists of South Sudan – on the international scene as an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and some, especially in the US, made the hypothesis of “ethnic cleansing” and even a “genocide”, promptly cited by various other sources. To give dimension to the events in this strife-torn Sudanese territory as large as France – but arid and difficult to accede – also the international institutions have so far utilised divergent and unclear data and estimates: some spoke of over 2-million displaced, others of 1.5-million internally displaced and 200,000 refugees in neighbouring Chad. The WHO (World Health Organisation) – through its offices in Geneva – recently reiterated that “due to disease and their living conditions”, estimates indicate that since March 10-thousand people have continued dying each month. An estimate that the government of Khartoum claims is not confirmed by WHO offices in Sudan. On August 17 a WHO bulletin, issued by the Reuters agency, indicated a total of 800,000 displaced (in 40 of the 54 displaced camps), 363 of which died in 5 weeks, including 177 children under the age of 5. The UN also indicated a total of 30-50-thousand victims of the Darfur crisis, 15% of which killed in conflict. Khartoum has repeatedly insisted that the total death toll is not above 5,000 and invited foreign observers to the scene, though such an operation would be difficult due to the vastness of the territory. The international community continued demanding from the Sudanese government the disarmament of the so-called “janjaweed” militias, Arab nomads believed pro-government and held responsible for the violence against the black stationary population of Darfur, of Muslim religion like the “janjaweed”. The UN special representative for the crisis, Jan Pronk – among the most calm and reliable sources on Darfur – after saying on Saturday that more men are required to regain control of the situation, added that the situation has somewhat altered in the region: “There is more banditry, more individual violence rendering humanitarian assistance more difficult. SLA rebels often attack police stations and government forces and SLA have clashes throughout the region. In the villages there are also occasional attacks by the ‘janjaweed’ and other militias”. (For Pronk and other sources SLA (Sudan Liberation Army) is the equivalent emblem of the SLA-M, in which the M represents Movement). Returning to the Tripoli summit, a questionable factor is the lack of information on the presence of some representatives of the rebels of Darfur in Libya, not to attend the summit, but for separate talks with Colonel Gheddafi. “We believe that Libya can play a vital role”, Tag al-Din Bashir Nyam of the JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) apparently told the international press, adding that Gheddafi intends to personally hear the rebel representatives. Could it be that, as often occurs, the most important negotiations are taking place behind the scene without any publicity? (Translation of article by Pietro Mariano Benni)

The Sudanese government of Khartoum on Sunday rejected the estimates made by the WHO (World Health Organisation), placing the victims at over 70,000 in the west Sudanese region of Darfur, since February 2003 torn by a conflict and consequential humanitarian crisis. On the Arabic 'Ayaam Today' newspaper, Sudan’s Foreign Minister Moustapha Osman Ismail reiterated that the information is incorrect. “When we asked for explanations from the WHO offices in Khartoum, which told us to have not provided any such information”, added Ismail. “They are the ones on the field and know what is taking place”, added the Foreign Minister, referring to the local WHO office and underlining that the government will conduct investigations to verify if there were pressures to issue incorrect estimates. The toll was released on Friday in Geneva, with the specification that the deaths were a consequence of the “conditions in which the displaced are living and disease”. Five African Heads of State met last night in Tripoli – Libyan Muammar Gheddafi, Egyptian Hosni Mubarak, Nigerian Olusegun Obasanjo, Chadian Idris Deby and Sudanese Omar El Beshir – in a move to seek a solution to the Darfur crisis and avoid sanctions threatened by the UN against the government of Khartoum.

The United Nations said on Monday it had continued to receive reports of attacks against internally displaced persons (IDPs) and harassment of relief workers in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. 
"The situation has remained extremely tense over the past days," Radia Achouri, spokesperson for the UN Advance Mission in Sudan, told IRIN. 
According to Achouri, relief workers had been harassed in separate incidents in North Darfur State either by suspected government soldiers and Janjawid militias, or by rebel fighters from the Sudanese Liberation Army. 
"In all cases, the humanitarian teams were stopped for about 20 minutes, surrounded, and intimidated by gunshots in the air," Achouri said. In a further incident on 14 October, Achouri added, SLA rebels hijacked two vehicles of an  international aid organization in South Darfur State. The cars were recovered on Sunday. 
Attacks against IDPs in South Darfur State also seemed to be on the increase. Achouri said she had received a report about an attack on Tasha in South Darfur that took place on 5 October. Two people were reportedly killed and nine wounded by unidentified armed men. 
On Friday, UN News had reported an attack against the village of Uma Kasara which took place on 2 October. Three policemen were reportedly killed, while 650 families had to flee as unidentified gunmen burnt their village. It said the IDPs had continued to arrive in Kalma, an overcrowded refugee camp close to the South Darfur state capital of Nyala, which already holds an estimated 60,000 people who fled their homes earlier. 
The World Health Organization's health crisis group recently put at about 70,000 the estimated number of people to have died in Darfur since March, mainly as a result of disease and malnutrition. The number was said not to include deaths from violence. The Sudanese government has questioned the accuracy of this number. 
An Amnesty International (AI) delegation that visited Darfur between 13 and 21 September had also reported new displacements in northern Darfur. The AI team said fighting had been reported between armed opposition groups and government armed forces supported by militias, in southeastern areas of South Darfur. 
Until now, this area had largely remained untouched by the conflict. Some of the fighting in South Darfur could be the result of a conflict between communities, AI said in a report released on Wednesday. 
The conflict in Darfur between the Sudanese military supported by Janjawid militias, and rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of the region, has displaced about 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has called the crisis in Darfur one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 
This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

In addition to the 300 unarmed military observers already sent by the African Union (AU) to Darfur, vast West Sudanese region, another Rwandan battalion is arriving in the territory over the weekend and a Nigerian force will arrive by October 30; the AU contingent will in fact progressively reach a total of 4,000 men. The humanitarian crisis however persists among the around 1.5-million displaced (according to some sources 1-million 250-thousand), that in the past months have abandoned their homes to flee from the violence and raids against the prevalently black population dedicated manly to the stationary cultivation of millet, by the nomads of the ‘baggara’ ethnic group, known as ‘janjaweed’ (also janjuweed, janjawid or jingaweit), as also other people (Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa). All however of Muslim religion that form a sort of armed Janjaweed militia, backed by the government of Khartoum, and that according to observers, act in line with ethnic cleansing or even genocide. In fact according to David Nabarro, representative of emergencies of the WHO (World Health Organisation), “disease and the living conditions of the displaced” in Darfur has resulted, at least since last March, in the average death of 10-thousand people per month. The representative also stated that so far not even half of the 200-million Euro requested by the UN has been allocated to confront the crisis. There is a shortage of funds and means of transport for the distribution of aid; according to Nabarro an entire fleet of planes is needed, while only 3 or 4 crafts and some often broken down jeeps. In synthesis, despite the wide interest demonstrated by the press and the intervention of numerous NGO’s, the international community does not appear to have comprehended the difficulty of guaranteeing assistance in a region as large as France. In addition to the internally displaced of Darfur there are an estimated 200-thousand refugees that fled to neighbouring Chad; the victims of the conflict in the region according to some sources count 30,000, others place the toll as high as 50-thousand, while Khartoum insists that the victims are no more than 5,000. The region is very difficult to accede even for aid workers and on the scene testimonies, often contrasting, are limited to observations from surrounding areas. Now, as the October date approaches for the resumption of suspended peace talks, the conflict appears somewhat tempered by a partially respected cease-fire, but the humanitarian crisis, based also on more recent UN communications, appears to be far from receding.

The European Union (EU) on Wednesday told Sudanese President Umar Hasan al-Bashir that it was concerned over increased violence in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, Bart Jochems, a spokesman for the Dutch foreign minister whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, told IRIN. 
Jochems said Foreign Minister Bernard Bot met the president in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and also held meetings with Manuel Da Silva, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, and Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail. 
Before arriving in Sudan, Bot had told journalists in Luxembourg on Monday that the situation in Darfur had remained "mixed", the French news agency AFP, reported. "The Sudanese government should continue to feel the pressure from as many sides as possible," Bot was quoted as saying. 
According to humanitarian workers, the security situation in Darfur has further deteriorated, with increased violence driving an additional 220,000 people from their homes in August. The humanitarian sources said they expected the number of displaced people to rise further in the near future. 
On Sunday, two relief workers employed by Save the Children UK were killed in Darfur when their vehicle hit an anti-tank landmine. The two, one British and one Sudanese, were travelling in the Um Barro area of North Darfur State when their vehicle struck the mine. 
Last week, Jan Pronk, UN special envoy to Sudan, said there had been no systematic improvement of security for people living in Darfur, adding that frequent attacks by armed militias had continued alongside breaches of the ceasefire by both the Sudanese government and the rebel groups. 
In a briefing to the UN Security Council in New York, Pronk said there had also been an alarming rise in armed banditry. He said that while Khartoum had not reversed the gains it had achieved in August, "there was no systematic improvement of people's security and no progress on ending impunity". 
The humanitarian agency CARE on 4 October also said that insecurity was worsening in strife-torn Darfur, and warned that those displaced by the conflict would not be able to return to their homes in the near future unless security was restored. CARE said fighting between government and rebel forces had intensified in September and that cases of banditry had increased. Insecurity had forced more people to flee their homes, causing a continued influx of people into camps in South Darfur State in particular. 
The conflict in Darfur between the Sudanese military supported by Janjawid militias said to be allied to the government, against rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state, erupted early last year. It has displaced about 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has called the crisis one of the world's current worst humanitarian crises. 
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

The State of North Darfur, which along with the West and South makes up the Sudanese region along the border with Chad, has been declared off-limits for United Nations humanitarian personnel. The announcement was made by Radhia Ashouri, spokesperson for the UN envoy in Sudan, explaining that the decision comes after two aid workers, a Brit and a Sudanese, from Save the Children were killed on Sunday by an anti-tank land mine. The UN spokesperson underlined that the situation is Darfur is rapidly deteriorating: cease-fire violations have increased despite the accord undersigned between the sides in the past months (central government of Khartoum and two rebel movements), while the abductions and violence continues also inside the displaced camps. The remote west Sudanese region is theatre since February 2003 to a conflict between two rebel groups and the central authorities. The two armed movements (SLA-M and JEM), formed as popular self-defence militias, rose in arms against the government of Khartoum, accused of neglecting the region because inhabited prevalently by black ‘afro’ peoples and of backing the Arab Janjaweed militias, on an international level considered responsible for the serious humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Based on UN estimates, since February 2003 the conflict has resulted in over a million displaced and refugees and several thousands of victims.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
As the international community discusses ways to tackle Sudan's Darfur crisis and journalists flock to the war-torn region, another disaster has been silently unfolding just a stone's throw from the capital, Khartoum, in El Salaam ['Peace' in Arabic] camp. 
Despite its name, there is nothing peaceful about El Salaam. The 120,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who live there have nicknamed the camp "Jaborona", which roughly means 'to force someone to do something against his will'. Over the past year and a half, the government of Sudan has bulldozed all structures there - homes, schools, clinics, latrines - leaving a muddy trail of disease and misery in its wake. 
Sudanese officials say the demolitions are part of a larger area-replanning programme that is meant to provide plots for residents and bring them vital services such as electricity and water. However, the plots are too expensive for most to buy and there are no signs of forthcoming services. 
A narrow bridge across the White Nile leads to Omdurman, whose religious ruler, the Mahdi, was toppled by the Anglo-Egyptian army of Lord Kitchener in 1898. In 1992, El Salaam camp was founded down the road from the Mahdi's tomb, where visiting foreigners flock on Friday afternoons to watch whirling dervishes dance. 
Most of the camp's inhabitants are people displaced from their homes in war-ravaged south Sudan. Neighbouring Wad Bashir camp hosts another 74,000 people. The government has destroyed thousands of homes in both camps since mid-2003, leaving gaping, putrid holes where latrines once stood and forcing residents to erect feeble makeshift dwellings that provide little shelter. 
"We are here in a shanty town now, my dear sister, we can't even say we're in a camp," Paula, a 38-year-old resident of El Salaam who works as a nutritionist for the Sudanese NGO Sub-Saharan International Development Organization (SIDO), told IRIN. "This is not a place for human beings, maybe for goats and rats," she said. 
Paula left her home after the war between the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) rebel group and the government reached her town, Torit, where she was working with the international NGO Norwegian Church Aid. 
She fled to Juba, the largest town in the south,  in the late 1990s and soon after managed to find her way to Khartoum. She went to live in El Salaam in 1999. Paula said she was informed on 6 October that her house was to be demolished nine days later and that she could apply for a plot on which to build a new home. But even though she is one of the few camp residents with a regular salary, she cannot afford to buy one, let alone build a new home on it. 
In addition to the two camps in Omdurman, demolitions are ongoing in Mayo IDP camp in Khartoum, where some 2,000 to 2,400 homes have been flattened. Demolitions in teeming squatter camps throughout Khartoum have been occurring as well. 
There are nearly 900,000 IDPs in four official camps in Omdurman and Khartoum and in another 15 squatter camps. The NGO Refugees International estimates that some two million displaced southerners live in the north. Those who do not live in the camps have blended into the neighbourhoods of Khartoum. 
In El Salaam, 25,000 households have applied for the new government-allocated plots that will replace the area cleared by the demolitions. An estimated 17,000 families 'qualified' and were granted the right to own a plot. Some 11,000 families could afford to pay the 11,400 Sudanese dinars (roughly US $45) for the plots and had the necessary documents, such as a birth certificate, to make the purchase. Of those, 6,000 families cannot afford to build new homes. In the end, the vast majority of residents have been left homeless. 
While providing a tour of her demolished neighbourhood, Paula points to piles of dirt that once formed her home and the local school, explaining that she had noticed a sharp increase in diseases such as diarrhoea and malaria, which  she blames on the fetid pools that have served as crude toilets since the latrines were bulldozed. 
Paula noticed a young woman cradling in her arms an emaciated baby who was suffering from diarrhoea. She was from West Darfur, she said. 
"Luckily there hasn't been any serious mortality yet," Gizenga Willow, of the Sudanese NGO Fellowship and African Relief (FAR) told IRIN, "but disease is certainly on the increase, particularly public health-related disease. Families have no homes and are getting infections, particularly children. 
"These families need [services] made available to them so they can stay here because we're not sure about the peace yet," added Gizenga, whose NGO works in the camp. 
The international community predicts that many displaced people may return to their homelands once the rainy season is over, especially if a final north-south peace agreement is signed at talks between SPLM/A leader John Garang and Sudanese Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad Taha, which resumed last week in Nairobi, Kenya. 
In anticipation of a successful resolution, tens of thousands have already braved the treacherous route - much of it mined - back to the south. Some aid workers suspect that many made this journey prematurely, forced onto the road by the demolitions. 
Recent joint agency rapid needs assessments have found that IDPs have been victims of harassment, taxation, severe hunger, banditry and sexual abuse while returning home. The United Nations humanitarian operation assisting returnees is operating on only 20 percent of the funding needed through to the end of the year, with a shortfall of a massive $123 million. 
Theresa, another El Salaam resident, told IRIN that like Paula, she would like to go to her family's home in the south - if only she had the resources to make the journey. Hiding from the scorching afternoon sun under a makeshift, open shelter, she thinks of nothing but going to Malakal. 
Although she only knows about her ancestral land through stories recounted by her now-deceased mother, she dreams of leaving El Salaam. The fact that she will most likely have nothing to return to in the south did not seem to bother her. Anything was better than her current situation. 
"The stories my mother told described a beautiful place," said Theresa. "At least [in Malakal] there will be food, we can eat fish from the Nile River. Our homes are destroyed here and we have nothing left." 

“If it turns out that in the next two months nothing has happened… the situation is worsening, then there is no other option for us than to apply sanctions and we have made that crystal clear,” Dutch foreign minister Bernard Bot said on behalf of the European Union of which his country holds the rotating presidency. His comments followed a meeting in Khartoum with his Sudanese counterpart Mustafa Osman Ismail on the subject of war-torn Darfur, which is the scene of a grave humanitarian crisis. Bot said that pressure, including possible sanctions, should also be applied to rebel groups in the remote western region. The Dutch minister said that Europe welcomes Sudan’s acceptance of up to 4.000 African Union observers and pledge of co-operation with the commission tasked with looking into possible acts of genocide in Darfur. “Not sufficient progress has been made on the protection of civilians in Darfur. The situation in the field is not yet satisfactory,” the representative of the EU presidency continued. In response, Sudan’s foreign minister told journalists that “we feel the government is fully co-operating, then why the threatening of sanctions? We think that the threatening of sanctions we left with the colonialisation era.” According to figures released by the United Nations co-ordinator for Sudan, Manuel Aranda Da Silva, today, 200.000 civilians have been forced to flee from persecution and violence in Darfur, adding that deteriorating security has blocked the distribution of humanitarian aid for over 1,5 million refugees

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Two relief workers employed by Save the Children (SC-UK) were killed on Sunday in the western Sudanese region of Darfur when their vehicle hit an anti-tank landmine. The two, one British and one Sudanese, were travelling in the Um Barro area of North Darfur State when their vehicle struck the landmine, SC-UK said. 
Mike Aaronson, director general of SC-UK, said in a statement: "No words are sufficient to describe the loss of two valued colleagues, whose work and efforts in North Darfur brought much relief to many children and their families caught up in this crisis". 
"The team was carrying out programme work in this area, which until three weeks ago had been virtually inaccessible to the outside world," he added. Their Sudanese driver was seriously injured. 
In a statement issued on Monday, the UN special envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, said: "The victims of the blast were humanitarians, whose presence in Darfur was motivated by the wish to assist people affected by the conflict. It is tragic that people who have come to Darfur to help the victims of the civil war become targets and victims themselves." 
He added: "This particular trip of the Save the Children vehicle had been fully notified to both the government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), as per agreed notification procedures." 
He urged the Sudanese government and the SLM to safeguard the security of humanitarian workers, adding the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had repeatedly condemned the use of landmines as weapons that kill civilians without discrimination. 
"The United Nations calls on the parties to the conflict in Darfur to immediately cease the use of such weapons," Pronk said. 
There are about 700 international humanitarian aid workers in conflict-torn Darfur, up from about 40 in March, as well as a few thousand Sudanese staff members. 
Sunday's tragedy was the second mine incident affecting Save the Children personnel in Darfur this year. In February, a vehicle in a SC-UK humanitarian convoy was destroyed by a landmine. The driver was seriously injured and had to undergo amputation. 
The conflict in Darfur pits the Sudanese military and militias said to be allied with the government, against rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state. The militias, locally known as Janjawid, have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. The fighting, which erupted early last year, has displaced about 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. 
On Thursday, Annan set up a commission of inquiry to investigate and determine whether genocide has been committed in Darfur. He appointed an Italian judge to lead the probe. The five-member commission will also investigate reports of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Darfur. 

“I tremble at the thought of the task entrusted to us by the United Nations. A huge volume of work awaits us, which will be complicated and must be completed quickly,” Professor Antonio Cassese, head of the commission of inquiry called for by the international community to look into reported acts of genocide in Sudan’s remote western region of Darfur, told MISNA. “The five members of the commission and the 30 or so members of the investigating team will have to work flat out for the three months assigned to them by the UN,” continued the Italian jurist and former President of the Tribunal for crimes in the former Yugoslavia, who was appointed commission chief by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. “We will try to carry out our task as serenely as possible. I would ask you journalists to be patient; we are a semi judicial body and I have asked all commission members to maintain maximum confidentiality concerning their work until we have made our report to the UN Security Council,” said Professor Cassese. The five-member team will also have the task of investigating reports of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights by all the actors in the conflict, where the Arab ‘Janjaweed’ militia is accused of committing crimes against the local black African population. The UN Security Council has also mandated the commission to identify the perpetrators of possible acts of genocide “with the aim of ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice”. Professor Cassese, a university lecturer in international law who is well known in Italy and abroad, has also presided an international group against torture and served as a member of the human rights’ committee of the Council of Europe. The commission also includes Diego Garcia-Sayan, Peru’s ex foreign and justice minister, law professor and UN negotiator in the Guatemala peace talks at the start of the 1990s; the Egyptian Mohammed Fayed, secretary general of the Arab human rights organisation and former minister; Hina Jilani from Pakistan, a lawyer with extensive experience in the field of human rights; and Stringgner Scott, current head of Ghana’s legal reform commission and former High Court judge. The experts have three months to carry out their investigations and report back to Annan. The 18-month Darfur crisis has claimed an unknown number of lives (between 30.000 and 50.000 according to the UN, ‘just’ 5.000 according to the Sudanese government), while over 1.5 million people have been internally displaced and at least 200.000 people have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad.

Two aid workers, a Brit and a Sudanese, were killed in Darfur, West Sudan, when the vehicle they were travelling on hit an anti-tank landmine. The news was referred by the British Save the Children humanitarian organisation they worked for, specifying that the incident occurred on Sunday near Ummbaru, northern Darfur. The Sudanese driver of the vehicle was also critically wounded in the blast. “There are no sufficient words to describe the loss of two valorous colleagues, whose work and efforts in north Darfur brought help and relief to many children and their families”, stated Mike Aaronson, director general of the British NGO, in a statement issued yesterday from London. The UN Special Representative in Sudan, Jan Pronk, deplored the episode, underlining that "the victims of the blast were humanitarians, whose presence in Darfur was motivated by the wish to assist people affected by the conflict". Pronk also added that both the rebels active in Darfur and the central government of Khartoum were informed of the expedition of the Save the Children mission. The remote western Sudanese region along the border with Chad since February 2003 is theatre to a conflict between two rebel groups and the central government. The two rebel movements (SLA-M and JEM), formed as popular self-defence militias, rose against the Sudan government for neglecting the region because inhabited by prevalently black people and backing the Arab Janjaweed militias, considered responsible on an international level for the serious humanitarian crisis afflicting Darfur. Based on UN estimates, since February 2003 the conflict has resulted in over 1.5-million refugees and internally displaced and various thousands of victims.

Italian jurist and former Chairman of the Tribunal for crimes in the former Yugoslavia, Antonio Cassese, is to head the commission appointed by the United Nations (UN) to look into possible acts of genocide in the remote western Sudanese region of Darfur, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said from New York. The five-member team will also have the task of investigating reports of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights committed by all the actors in the conflict, where the Arab ‘Janjaweed’ militia is accused of committing crimes against the local black African population. The UN Security Council has also mandated the commission of experts to identify the perpetrators of any genocidal action “with the aim of ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice”. Besides heading he UN court for ex-Yugoslavia, Professor Cassese, a lecturer in international law, has also presided an international group against torture and has served as a member of the human rights’ committee of the Council of Europe. The commission also includes Diego Garcia-Sayan, Peru’s ex foreign and justice minister, law professor and UN negotiator in the Guatemala peace talks at the start of the 1990s; the Egyptian Mohammed Fayed, secretary general of the Arab human rights organisation and former minister; Hina Jilani from Pakistan, a lawyer with extensive experience in the field of human rights; and Stringgner Scott, current head of Ghana’s legal reform commission and former High Court judge. The experts have three months to carry out their investigations and report back to Annan; UN information sources say that they are due to leave for Sudan shortly. The 18-month Darfur crisis has claimed an unknown but extremely large number of lives (between 30.000 and 50.000 according to the UN), while over 1.45 million people have been internally displaced and a further 150.000-170.000 people have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad. The Khartoum press reports that the government has announced that at least 200.000 formerly displaced civilians have now returned to their villages.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has set up a commission of inquiry to investigate and determine whether genocide has been committed in Sudan's strife-torn western region of Darfur. He appointed an Italian judge to lead the probe. 
The five-member commission, which was formed on Thursday, will also investigate reports of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Darfur, where militias locally known as the Janjawid stand accused of killing and raping thousands of villagers since February 2003, when rebel groups took up arms against the Sudanese government. 
The Janjawid, made up largely of ethnic Arab tribes and who are allegedly allied to government troops, have been accused of committing atrocities against black African communities in Darfur. 
The United States Secretary of State Colin Powell told a Senate committee in Washington on 9 September that American government investigations had showed "that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjawid bear responsibility" for it. 
The US subsequently proposed a resolution to the UN Security Council that threatens to impose sanctions on Sudan's fast-growing oil industry that currently produces about 320,000 barrels per day. 
Khartoum vehemently condemned Powell's statement and said that Washington was sending "a wrong signal" that would discourage the two rebel movements in Darfur - the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) - from entering into meaningful peace negotiations with the government. 
Annan's decision to set up the commission of inquiry followed the Council's request that he do so in a resolution adopted last month on the humanitarian and security crises engulfing Darfur, a vast and impoverished region. 
About 1.45 million people are internally displaced within Darfur and another 200,000 are living as refugees in neighbouring Chad. UN officials have described the situation as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. 
Antonio Cassese of Italy, the first President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), will be the commission's chairman. Professor Cassese has taught international law in Italy and the United Kingdom and also served on human rights committees for the Council of Europe. 
The other members are Diego Garcia-Sayán of Peru, Mohammed Fayek of Egypt, Hina Jilani of Pakistan and Thérese Striggner Scott of Ghana. Dumisa Ntsebeza of South Africa will act as executive director, heading the technical team that supports the commission. 
Garcia-Sayán, previously Foreign Affairs and Justice Minister of Peru, a legal professor for nearly 20 years and a UN negotiator during the Guatemalan peace talks in the early 1990s. 
Fayek is Secretary-General of the Arab Organization for Human Rights, a non-governmental organisation, and has served as both a minister and as a presidential adviser during his time in the Egyptian parliament. 
Jilani has been the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders since August 2000. She has a long record as a human-rights lawyer and activist in Pakistan and started the country's first firm of female attorneys in 1980. 
Striggner Scott, currently chair of Ghana's Law Reform Commission, has worked as a High Court judge in Ghana and Zimbabwe and has also been an ambassador for her country during a long diplomatic career. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Talks aimed at thrashing out a final peace settlement between the Sudanese government and the southern-based Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army resumed in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Thursday after a two-month hiatus. 
"My presence here is an expression of our unwavering commitment [...] to clear all outstanding issues," SPLM/A leader John Garang said at the opening ceremony. "I wish to assure you all that I am prepared to remain here to complete negotiations and agreements on all outstanding issues and sign a comprehensive peace agreement," he added. 
He also called for the resolution of the conflict ravaging the western region of Darfur, saying peace in the south would be incomplete if violence continued in the west. Conflict between rebels and the government supported by allied militia in Darfur, has displaced 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border to Chad. 
"Having peace in one part of the country and having war and instability in others parts cannot be useful to anybody in the Sudan or the region," said Garang. 
The Sudanese Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad Taha said that Khartoum was committed to the peace process and pledged that "the world would receive good news" at the end of the current fifth round of face-to-face talks between him and Garang. 
"I confirm the readiness of the government of Sudan to continue negotiating with sincerity and good faith," he said. "We understand the importance of these negotiations. We are therefore going to give the negotiations their due attention," said Taha. 
The conflict in southern Sudan erupted in 1983 when rebels in the mainly Christian and animist south took up arms against authorities based in the in the Muslim, largely Arabised north to demand greater autonomy for their region. 
Last May, both sides signed six key protocols covering cover power-sharing arrangements and the administration of three contested areas during a six-year interim period that will precede a referendum to determine whether the south would remain part of Sudan. 
The protocols outlined the formation of a decentralised government of national unity, and devolution of power to Sudan's individual states. The south would, during the interim period, have its own constitution that would conform with the transitional national constitution. 
Senior Kenyan officials and representatives of IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on Development), the regional organization that is coordinating the talks, attended the opening of the talks. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Armed groups including the Sudanese national army, military intelligence and various armed forces aligned to the government have abused civilians on several occasions in southern Sudan, the United States-funded Civilian Protection Monitoring Team (CPMT) reported. 

"There is an unmistakable pattern of looting of civilian livestock assets, which coupled with harassment and intimidation of civilians, spell grave humanitarian consequences for the IDP [internally displaced persons] in Malakal [in Upper Nile State]," the CPMT said in a new report released on Wednesday. 
"The government must immediately end the insecurity being posed by its allied forces in order to avert a humanitarian crisis in Malakal and surrounding areas. The local population should be allowed to resume their livelihoods and IDPs must feel safe to return to their homes and plant their crops before the end of the current rainy season," it added. 
Malakal, the headquarters of Upper Nile, has an estimated 35,000 IDPs, who, according to the CPMT, live under difficult humanitarian conditions. The IDPs fled into the town to escape instability that has been experienced in Shilluk Kingdom since the October 2003 defection of Lam Akol from the government-allied SPLM-United [Sudan People's Liberation Movement break-away faction) to the SPLM/A [Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army]. 
Lam Akol was a senior member of the SPLM/A before breaking away with others to form the SPLM/A-Nasir in a rebellion that split the movement in 1991. He again broke away in 1995, becoming chairman of SPLM-United, signed an agreement with the government in 1997 and served as its transport minister for five years. 
The CPMT report, which also carries reports of interviews with Sudanese government officials, details confirmed arrests and harassment between April and July in Malakal and nearby villages. The armed forces, it said, "shot at, intimidated and threatened civilians in areas around Malakal, causing fear among local residents and in most cases forcing them to abandon their life-sustaining economic activities such as fishing, collecting firewood and charcoal burning." 
"It is the responsibility of the government of Sudan to control members of its army and other armed elements within its ranks, notably the South Sudan Defense Forces, which is responsible for much of the destruction in the Shilluk Kingdom," it said. "The government must also ensure that its military officials are trained to abide by the international laws governing their conduct, and more specifically, the agreement between government and SPLM/A to protect non-combatant civilians and civilian facilities from military attack." 
According to the CPMT, government militias had also attacked villages on the north banks of the White Nile, west of Malakal, during March-April and killed at least one civilian. They also looted the villages. 
"The government must ensure that the perpetrators of these attacks are identified and punished," it said. 
Another investigation by the CPMT found that in July, armed men attacked Tonga village in the same region, where an estimated 24 civilians have been killed since March when the conflict in the Shilluk Kingdom intensified. During the attack, 11 civilians were abducted, of whom, six were killed. Some 32 head of cattle were looted. 
"The government of Sudan is reminded of its own commitment to refrain from targeting or intentionally attacking non-combatant civilians. [It] should take all precautions feasible to avoid the incidental loss of life, injury to civilians, and danger to public objects, as per the agreement [with the SPLM/A]," Brig-Gen Frank J. Toney, CPMT's program manager said in the report. 
The full report can be found at: http://www.cpmtsudan.org 

The peace talks between the rebels of SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) and the government of Khartoum are due to resume in Kenya today. In reality, the lengthy negotiations between the actors in the 20-year conflict in South Sudan ended months ago (the sides agreed on the division of power, oil revenue, land and their respective political and religious authority), but the definitive accord to seal this agreement has been repeatedly postponed. The peace accord between the central government and the southern separatists seems to be increasingly overshadowed by the news emerging from the remote western region of Darfur, for over 18 months the scene of a conflict fuelled in part by reasons similar to those behind the long-running clashes in the south. This new round of negotiations follows a lively dispute between the two sides: rebel sources have accused the government of increasing its military presence in some of the main cities in the south. Humanitarian sources in situ have confirmed these troop movements despite persistent claims by Khartoum to the contrary. The complex conflict in southern Sudan – which is frequently depicted simply as a religious conflict between the Arab and Muslim north and the Christian and animist south, but which in reality is strongly linked to international interests in the rich oil reserves in the contested areas – has claimed an unknown number of lives since 1983, mostly as a result of hunger and disease: current estimates put the death toll at over two million, while twice that many people are believed to have been displaced.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
There has been no systematic improvement of security for people living in the troubled western Sudanese region of Darfur, where frequent attacks by armed militias have continued alongside breaches of the ceasefire by both the Sudanese government and the rebel groups, Jan Pronk, a senior United Nations official, said on Tuesday. 
In a briefing to the UN Security Council in New York, Pronk, special envoy of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said there had also been an alarming rise in armed banditry. He said that while Khartoum had not reversed the gains it had achieved in August, "there was no systematic improvement of people's security and no progress on ending impunity". 
According to UN News, Pronk called for support for the African Union (AU), so that it could expand the size and mandate of its mission in Darfur, which is currently limited to monitoring the ceasefire only. 
UN News said that Annan, in a report to the Council, had recommended that the AU force be given the power to protect internally displaced persons and refugees, including those living in makeshift camps; monitor the activities of the local police, and disarm fighters, including the Janjawid militias accused of committing most of the attacks against civilians. 
Pronk told reporters in New York that he had urged the AU to increase the size of its force and the number of its monitors, currently standing at 3,500 and 350 respectively. "The AU is willing, there is no lack of political will in the AU, but there is a capacity problem and that has to be supported by other countries," he said. 
UN News said Annan was setting up a commission of inquiry to determine whether the killings in Darfur constituted genocide. "Today, still-increasing numbers of the population of Darfur are exposed, without any protection from their government, to hunger, fear and violence. The numbers affected by the conflict are growing and their suffering is being prolonged by inaction," Annan said in his report. 
Pronk said three conditions needed to be met to solve the conflicts in Sudan: the government should protect the people and guarantee their rights as citizens and human beings; the country's constitutional and institutional framework should reflect existing diversities, and an economic development policy should be based on a fair distribution of the country's resources and directed at poverty reduction and sustainable development. 
He said the government had kept some of the promises it made in August. However, in September, there had been "attacks and counter-attacks, revenge and retaliation" by the army, sometimes involving helicopter gunships, though less frequently towards the end of the month. 
"Despite the fact that both the government and the rebel movements had reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire, breaches had continued," he said. "Some clashes resulted from a deficient implementation of the agreements concerning the initial safe areas." 
In the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, Foreign Minister Mustafa Uthman Isma'il said however in a statement that there had been positive aspects in Pronk's report. He said the report had spoken about the importance of the presence of AU monitors, which would contribute greatly to the stability of the situation in Darfur. 
The conflict in Darfur pits the Sudanese military and militias said to be allied with the government, against rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state. The militias, locally known as Janjawid, have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. The fighting, which erupted early last year, has displaced about 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Talks to end the 21-year conflict between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army that are set to resume in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Thursday should be concluded quickly otherwise Sudan may not achieve peace before the end of the year, the International Crisis Group (ICG) warned on Tuesday. 
The Brussels-based think-tank, in a briefing paper, said the crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur had preoccupied the international community, leading to inadequate attention being paid to the conflict in the south. 
"The peace process mediated by the regional IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] looked close to finality in June 2004 but is now at risk," the ICG said. "The draft agreement negotiated at [the Kenyan town of] Naivasha contains provisions that can assist a political solution in Darfur." 
It added: "The two issues are closely related and need to be dealt with equally and urgently. However, unless current dynamics change, and the UN Security Council puts more pressure upon Khartoum to conclude the IGAD agreement, war could soon resume across the country." 
According to the ICG, the protocols already signed but not yet in force could begin to unravel if the Sudanese government chooses to delay conclusion of the peace agreement. "If this happens, new fronts in a war that has already cost 2 million lives are likely to emerge in the Nuba Mountains, Southern Blue Nile and the east," it warned. 
However, the ICG added, should the government choose cooperation, peace in Sudan could be secured before the end of the year. "Wrapping up the IGAD agreement would lay the groundwork for further understandings with the umbrella opposition group, the National Democratic Alliance, and, more importantly, provide models for a Darfur resolution and begin the process towards democratisation and national elections," it noted. 
On Tuesday, the SPLM/A said it was concerned over what it described as "the continuing build-up of government troops" in the south, but a government spokesman denied that extra troops were being sent to the region. 
The talks were adjourned in July. Both the government and the SPLM/A have said they are set to continue the discussions. 
The conflict in southern Sudan broke out in 1983, when rebels took up arms against the government to demand greater autonomy for the South. On 26 May the government and the SPLM/A signed three key protocols in Naivasha, bringing them a step closer to peace. 
The protocols, which covered power-sharing arrangements and the administration of three contested areas during a six-year interim period, also outlined the formation of a decentralised government of national unity and devolution of power to individual states. The two sides still have to agree on a comprehensive peace accord, a permanent ceasefire and the modalities for implementing the final settlement. 

Just days before the resumption of peace talks in Kenya between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), the SPLM/A has expressed concern over "the continuing build-up of government troops" in garrison towns in southern Sudan. 
However, a government spokesman denied that extra troops were being sent to the south. 
The talks, which were adjourned in July, are scheduled to resume on Thursday. Sources close to the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the sub-regional body coordinating the talks, said they had been moved to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, from their previous venue, the town of Naivasha, because hotels in the latter "were fully booked". 
Both the government and the SPLM/A have said they are set to continue the discussions. 
"Our team is already in Nairobi - if Khartoum comes. And Dr Garang [SPLM/A head John Garang] is expected any time," Justin Yaac Arop, SPLM/A representative in Nairobi, told IRIN on Tuesday. "It is our will that the talks go faster this time so we can go over the remaining topics, especially the security arrangements and implementation modalities." 
Muhammad Ahmad Dirdeiry, the Sudanese deputy ambassador to Kenya, told IRIN on Tuesday that the government was ready for the upcoming negotiations. "We are coming, of course. We expect the Vice President here by then," he said. 
In the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, President Umar Hasan al-Bashir, told the opening session of parliament that his government was "determined to continue the process until it is completed". The government negotiating team would leave for "Nairobi by the end of this week", said al-Bashir, whose speech was carried by Sudanese TV on Monday. 
He added: "Despite aspects of negative behaviour - positions and statements - made by a number of SPLM officials, which can be construed as a violation of the spirit of the political partnership, which is the basis of the peace agreement, we are determined to continue the process until it is completed." 
But the SPLM/A representative said his group was "worried" that more troops were being sent to the South. 
"It has been going on for some time since we signed a cessation of hostilities agreement and raises concerns because it does not produce a conducive atmosphere for talks," Arop told IRIN. The cessation of hostilities, signed in October 2002, was initially intended to last three months, but has since been renewed every three months as peace talks between Khartoum and SPLM/A continued. It was last extended in August. 
"Why would Khartoum keep building-up troops, for example, in Abyei [a contentious oil-rich area] when we are going for peace talks?" Arop said. "We are worried because they want a situation of no war and no peace." 
But Dirdeiry denied the SPLM/A claims. "They should make such claims through the Channel of Communications Committee. I am a member of that committee and we have not received any such allegation," he said. "I am not aware of any troops build-up in the south." 
In June, the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS) reported that both the government and the SPLM/A had repeatedly violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement, raising questions about the sincerity of the entire peace process. 
The ISS said shifting allegiances among southern Sudanese militias had led, in recent months, to fighting for territorial control between the army and forces allied to it, on the one hand, and the SPLM/A on the other hand in the Shilluk Kingdom in Upper Nile state. The clashes had led to widespread looting and displaced tens of thousands of people, according to the ISS. 
In western Upper Nile, it said, in-fighting within a government-allied militia, the South Sudan Independence Movement, had led to widespread cattle raiding. Akobo in eastern Upper Nile had also repeatedly passed been changing hands between the SPLM/A and government-allied militias since falling to the SPLM/A in October 2002. 
Referring to the alleged troop build-up, Arop told IRIN on Tuesday that not only were there more government soldiers in the South, but more militia groups had been armed. "Khartoum has always used militias to fight us, then turned round to blame the militias for the clashes. We intend to talk about this situation," Arop said. 
A relief worker in southern Sudan told IRIN on Tuesday that he had seen "a steady military build-up in and around key garrisons" such as around Malakal. Relief workers also said reports had been received of military equipment being transported by barge between Malakal and Kosti, another southern town. Some troops had been moved further south to Nassir and possibly to Juba, the largest town in the south, they said. 
According to the sources, recent clashes had occured between the SPLM/A and militia in Yomding, a locality between Nassir and the town of Ulang, and in Pultruk in Jonglei state. The sources added that the government-allied South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF) militia had also increased its presence in the region, especially in Upper Nile. 
The conflict in southern Sudan broke out in 1983, when rebels took up arms against the government to demand greater autonomy for the South. On 26 May 2004, the government and the SPLM/A signed three key protocols in Naivasha, bringing them a step closer to peace. 
The protocols, which covered power-sharing arrangements and the administration of three contested areas during a six-year interim period, also outlined the formation of a decentralised government of national unity and devolution of power to individual states. 
The two sides still have to agree on a comprehensive peace accord, a permanent ceasefire and the modalities for implementing the final settlement. 

Indications of a deterioration of the conditions of civilians are arriving from Darfur, the west Sudanese region in which an over 19 months conflict between government forces and rebels has provoked a serious humanitarian crisis. Humanitarian and religious sources contacted by MISNA report renewed fighting and consequential flows of civilians fleeing the violence. In the past two weeks thousands of new displaced have arrived in Nyala, capital of Darfur. “They are all Muslims, for the most part of the Dajo and Fur tribes (Darfur in fact means ‘home of the Fur’ e.n.), from a zone several dozens of kilometres from the city”, explained to MISNA a religious source contacted in the area, who will remain anonymous for security reasons. “The exodus from the villages had appeared to have attenuated in the past two months, but in mid September it instead resumed more intensely”, continued the source. Also adding, in this last period “we have seen no improvements: despite the presence of over fifty international organisations, the people here continue dying of privation and disease. We above all register an extremely high infant mortality rate”. The source referred that Nyala is transforming into a ‘fortress’ of aid organisations, many of which setting up bases: “The city is ‘expanding’, buildings are being restructures for rental to the NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organisations), but it is still impossible to guarantee assistance to all the people in need”. News of new fighting in the area of Ta’asha is arriing through the network of Caritas Internationalis and Action Churches Together (ACT): at least 5,000 people fled following clashes that broke out September 25, referred Hege Opseth from Nyala: “We are seriously concerned for the security of the new displaced in the area of Ta’asha”, explained Geoff O’Donoghue, representative of the emergency programmes of the organisation. “These people are blocked by the fighting and if we cannot guarantee them basic aid they risk dying”. The lack of improvement of conditions on the ground in the past month is also contained in a report issued by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Based on a copy of the report circulating in the past hours at the UN, Annan affirms that the government of Khartoum in September made no “further progress” in restoring security in the essential areas, stopping attacks against civilians, disarming the militias and assuring to justice those responsible for the crimes. According to the UN, 19 months of conflict in Darfur have resulted in over 1.4-million displaced, tens of thousand of victims (between 30-50thousand) and at least 150,000 refugees in neighbouring Chad

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Some 122,800 people in southern Sudan desperately need food aid and other basic needs such as health and educational facilities, agricultural tools and clean water, a group of seven NGOs operating in the region said. 
Launching an appeal for US $434,913 in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Friday, John Kwaje, chairman of the New Sudanese Indigenous NGOs (NESI) group said: "The seven NGOs which have made the joint appeal operate in various fields of service. The appeal is to save the areas worst hit by food shortages resulting from the lack of rains or the influx of returnees." 
"The specific counties which will be covered by the funding will include, Anyuak Kingdom in Pochala, Lianya, Torit, Mundri, Twic county and the Shilluk region," he added. 
NESI is a consortium of 47 indigenous NGOs working in south Sudan with international NGOs. Victoria Garile, Director of South Sudan Community Association, one of the member NGOs said: "Children are learning under trees [and the] number is increasing as some are coming back from exile." Officials of another NGO, Mak-Deel for Development and Training Association, said: "Pochala county currently is congested with 20,000 refugees and internally displaced persons." 
Before the "Preparation for Sudan Reconstruction" conference held in Oslo, Norway, in September, representatives of the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People 's Liberation Movement/Army had urged the international communities to provide $300 million in aid to cover the urgent needs of people in southern Sudan. 
They said funds were needed to, among other things, assist about one million or more people who were expected to return home once a final peace accord is signed in the south. The Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission had said it had already registered 1.5 million returnees in South Sudan. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The humanitarian agency CARE said on Monday that insecurity was worsening in the strife-torn Sudanese region of Darfur and warned that those displaced by the conflict would not be able to return to their homes in the near future unless security was restored. 
"Insecurity in Darfur is increasing, leaving victims of violence more vulnerable and more desperate. Unless the Government of Sudan, supported by the African Union [AU] and the international community, can ensure safety and security in the region, people will continue to live in fear and be unable to move out of their dismal, temporary housing and return home," CARE-USA said in a statement. 

According to CARE, fighting between government and rebel forces had intensified in September and that cases of banditry had increased. Insecurity had forced more people to flee their homes, causing a continued influx of people into camps in South Darfur State in particular. 
"People are traumatized by the atrocities they have suffered, and their living conditions are grim," Geoffrey Chege, CARE's regional director for East and Central Africa who recently visited Darfur, said in the statement. "Women are so afraid of rape that they dread going for firewood and water. Male relatives cannot escort them for fear they will be killed," he added. 
To improve the humanitarian situation in Darfur, CARE suggested the following measures: the Sudanese government should bring an immediate end to atrocities and further displacement of people; the African Union, with the endorsement of the United Nations, should substantially increase the number of monitors, and expand their mandate to protect civilians, and the international community should increase financial and logistical support for AU monitors and protection forces. 
CARE also suggested that the United Nations should maintain pressure on the Sudanese government and rebel groups to ensure humanitarian access to people in need, and that donors should honour commitments to provide adequate humanitarian assistance, of which, according to the statement, there was a severe shortfall. 
The conflict in Darfur pits the Sudanese military and militias said to be allied with the government, against rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state. The militias, locally known as Janjawid, have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. The fighting, which erupted early last year, has displaced about 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. 
In Khartoum, however, Sudanese President Umar Hasan al-Bashir, told parliament that his government was determined to resolve the Darfur crisis by adopting policies that would "repair the social fabric and strengthen the civil administration by granting it legal, judicial and administrative powers". 
Bashir, in an address carried live on Sudanese TV on Monday, said: "There are objective reasons for the disturbance which the [Darfur] region has faced [...] the tribal strife, armed robbery, scarcity of resources and poor services, despite the unparalleled efforts by the current government to improve the situation." But he added that there were "foreign agendas working to exaggerate the problems to undermine" the Sudanese people. 
"In order to face up to the challenges of the foreign agendas, we came up with a security plan to guarantee the security of the camps, corridors used by humanitarian aid workers, nomads and public transport, by deploying a large number of the police force, and identifying a particular place where displaced people can return to voluntarily. We have also carried out extensive security measures to pursue armed bandits and outlaws," he added. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Attacks by armed gangs on internally displaced persons (IDPs) and clashes between armed groups have continued in the troubled Sudanese state of North Darfur, creating "a fragile security situation" and widespread fear among civilians living in camps within the region, humanitarian sources said on Thursday. 
A source in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, told IRIN that a number of IDPs from Zam Zam camp were detained at a police checkpoint on Tuesday without being told why they were held. Later, when they were allowed to go, armed men attacked them and reportedly raped a number of women. 
According to another source, another group of 3,000 IDPs who had fled their villages in early September and camped in El Bisharia, 2.5 km south of El Fasher, had reportedly been forced to return to their villages about 10 days ago. But after they arrived at their homes, many of them were attacked forcing some to flee into the bushes or to El Fasher. 
"The IDPs reported one boy shot by the armed men," a source said. The IDPs, from six villages around El Fasher, including Abu Delieg, Fireash, Shawa, Saroor, Umm Gamina and Bargo, had initially said they fled their villages after being attacked by a group of armed men between 29 August and 2 September. They believed the attackers were Janjawid militia. The attackers, according to the IDPs, had raped, looted and beaten many of the residents. 
The source in El Fasher told IRIN that reports of violent attacks by armed men had also been received from Tawillah town. A humanitarian source said the IDP camps there had experienced "a lot of insecurity recently". 
NGOs operating in South Darfur reported that on Tuesday that renewed fighting had driven at least 5,000 people from their homes within three days. The displaced, they added, were now seeking shelter under trees and had no food, water or shelter. 
It was not immediately clear who was fighting who, Martha Clarke, head of public relations for Action by Churches Together (ACT)/Caritas, told IRIN. But in Khartoum, the Sudanese Minister of State at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Muhammad Yusuf Abdallah, accused rebel groups in Darfur of violating a ceasefire agreement reached earlier with the government. 
ACT/Caritas in a news release said its field staff on the ground had heard gunshots when fighting erupted in the Taaisha area of South Darfur on 25 September. Thousands of the displaced, it added, had sought refuge nearby. 
"They are sitting under trees, seeking some comfort from the burning sun," ACT/Caritas said in the news release. "Most of them left without any or very little belongings." 
The conflict in Darfur, between the Sudanese military and militias said to be allied to the government, and rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state, erupted early last year. 
The militias, locally known as Janjawid, have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. Some 1.45 million people have been displaced and another 200,000 fled across the border into Chad. 
Meanwhile, about 20,000 children were demobilised from the ranks of southern Sudanese rebel forces between 2001 - 2003 but thousands more were still fighting, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said. 
UNICEF, in a statement on Thursday, said many of the children who were still active combatants were thought to be southerners who had been involved with government or allied forces in the 21-year civil war between Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The number of reported cases of suspected Hepatitis E in western Sudan's strife-torn region of Darfur has risen to 6,861, including 87 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest update on the outbreak issued on Tuesday. 
According to WHO, the total number of reported cases per week had continued to increase, with West Darfur State still the most affected area. The disease was first reported in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur in May. 
Health workers from Sudan's Health Ministry, International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins du Monde-France, Médecins sans Frontières-Holland, Oxfam, UN Children's Fund and UN Joint Logistics Centre have been working with WHO to step up mass hygiene education programmes, increase the availability of soap, dig new wells, and ensure effective chlorination of water bladders and wells. 
South Darfur State had the poorest water and sanitation indicators, according to WHO. The agency said it was working with the water and environmental sanitation department of the Sudanese government and the state Ministry of Health to develop an emergency environmental health plan for IDP camps in South Darfur. 
Existing resources remained insufficient to cover the basic water and sanitation needs of the displaced populations in Darfur, WHO added. Additional efforts were still needed to reduce the number of new Hepatitis E infections, and prevent the spread of other waterborne diseases, it said. 
Hepatitis E is a waterborne disease usually transmitted through water that is contaminated with faeces. It kills five percent of those infected, and is especially dangerous to pregnant women. According to WHO, refugees and displaced people living in overcrowded camps are at the highest risk of infection. 
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned after the outbreak was first reported that unless immediate action was taken to stem the disease in Darfur, it could spread quickly among the hundreds of thousands of IDPs living in camps with poor sanitation. 
It said while Hepatitis E usually had a fatality rate of one to four percent, the virus was several times more lethal when it infected pregnant women. In one camp where the virus had been detected in West Darfur, UNFPA said, six of the eight people who died were pregnant women. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Renewed fighting in South Darfur State has reportedly driven at least 5,000 people from their homes in the last three days, non-governmental organisations operating in the area said on Tuesday. The displaced, they added, were now seeking shelter under trees and waiting without food, water or shelter. 
It was not however possible to confirm who was fighting who, Martha Clarke, head of public relations for Action by Churches Together (ACT)/Caritas, told IRIN. 
"We are very concerned about this highly insecure and dangerous situation. We are seeing more and more civilians being driven from their homes by fighting. The international community must continue to try and negotiate peace in the region," she said. 
In Khartoum, the Sudanese news agency reported that the Minister of State at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Muhammad Yusuf Abdallah, had accused rebel groups in Darfur of violating a ceasefire agreement reached earlier with the government. 
According to the agency, the minister said the rebels had carried out an attack on Damba region, 160 km south of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, wounding a number of people. 
ACT/Caritas in a news release said its field staff on the ground had heard gunshots when fighting erupted in Taaisha area of South Darfur on 25 September. Thousands of the displaced, it added, had sought refuge nearby. "They are sitting under trees, seeking some comfort from the burning sun. Most of them left without any or very little belongings," ACT/Caritas said in the news release. 
It quoted the displaced as saying government-allied Janjawid militia riding horses and camels had attacked their villages, followed by soldiers. "They started shooting at us and looted everything in the village," the news release quoted one woman as saying. The villagers, it said, had claimed that as many as 300 soldiers had participated in the attacks. 
"Since ACT/Caritas started working in the area, the number of IDPs [internally displaced persons] has exploded. Field staff are extremely concerned as the people risk being totally cut off and they are at risk of famine," it said. "There are still ongoing attacks directed at innocent civilians and the number of IDPs keeps increasing." 
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Tuesday that access to IDPs throughout Darfur had steadily improved, despite logistical and security problems. It said some 75 percent of 153 identified IDP locations were now accessible. 
"Since April 2004, WFP has provided food to 102 of those locations," WFP said in an update of its operations in Darfur. "Insecurity however remains a major concern for WFP, adversely affecting our operations throughout the three Darfur states, but particularly in North Darfur." 
WFP added that seasonal rains, while less intense than usual, had caused widespread disruption of its activities, particularly in West Darfur. "Rain-swollen wadis [rivers] and sodden tracks blocked many roads, delaying deployment of WFP's fleet of newly purchased all-terrain trucks and forcing WFP to use airdrops to reach IDP camps and locations cut off by road," it said. 
On Monday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, who is visiting the region, had said a complete end to violence was the next crucial step in convincing hundreds of thousands of uprooted Darfurians that they may eventually be able to go home. 
Lubbers, who visited three IDP camps in West Darfur, was told of the enormous mistrust between the IDPs and Sudanese authorities. At Seliah camp, 100 km north of the provincial capital Al Jeneina, the IDPs said up to three Darfurians had been killed by militiamen outside the camp over the past few days, UNHCR reported. 
The conflict in Darfur between the Sudanese military and militias said to be allied to the government and rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state, erupted last year. The militias, locally known as Janjawid, have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. Some 1.45 million people have been displaced and another 200,000 fled across the border into Chad. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
In a sand-spattered tent in the middle of the Chadian desert, Mahamout Ahmat Mahamout stands in front of a blackboard, trying to bring a semblance of normality into the lives of his pupils from Darfur, who have seen fathers and schoolmates slaughtered before their very eyes. 
Biology is the lesson of the day for the class of 40 at the refugee camp, or more specifically how mothers feed their babies. And girls and boys alike sit cross-legged on the matting in their impromptu classroom and listen, entranced. 
"School keeps them busy, although of course their minds still flit to the atrocities that they have witnessed," said Mahamout, one of several Sudanese teachers to seize the initiative and get classes up and running at the Iridimi camp. 
"It's important once they are able to go back home that they have the means and the skills to become leaders of the next generation," he told IRIN as he scrawled the next lesson onto the blackboard. "Who knows? There may be potential ministers and ambassadors among them." 
CARE, the charity running this camp in eastern Chad, reckons there are about 4,500 children who should be in school. But with the formal education programme yet to swing into action, it admits that only half of those children are currently having lessons. 
Some 800 pupils are lucky enough to learn in one of the five school tents erected at the centre of the camp. Another 1,400 cluster more informally for classes under trees and the rest wile away the hours either helping with chores or playing in the dirt. 
"We hope to have the tents to set up enough schools for all the pupils by the time the local kids in Chad go back to school in mid-October," explained Sylvain Nengoulya, who is in charge of the education programme for CARE. 
The Darfur children are being taught the curriculum they would have been following in Sudan, had they not been forced to abandon their villages by the pro-government Janjawid militias who attacked their friends and neighbours and torched their schools. 
Trauma a major obstacle 
And indeed, the most fundamental problem facing both teachers and parents is trauma. 
When UN Secretary General Kofi Annan flew in to Iridimi by helicopter several months ago, terrified children scarpered off to hide, thinking his aircraft was one of the Russian-built Antonov bombers that had wreaked such destruction on their villages on the other side of the border. 
"Many of them have lived through the most frightening things. They have seen other children, their friends, dying in front of them," Nengoulya said. "There are images rolling round in their heads from Darfur that need banishing. We hope to erase some of the evil with education." 
Eight-year-old Waheba Assadick was already focusing on her studies. 
"It's good to be back in class because before I didn't really have anything to do, except look after the animals and fetch water," she said shyly. 
But she had a few suggestions when it came to her new school. "There are no tables or chairs or books. And I miss my old school uniform," she told IRIN. 
However, compared to her compatriots in camps further north, Waheba is relatively well-off. At the Oure Cassoni camp, which opened its doors just two months ago, aid agencies have not yet had time to set up a school programme. 
"The refugees have organised themselves and are using the food hangars on days when there are no distributions," explained Julia Zajkowski of the International Rescue Committee, the U.S.-based charity which runs the camp. 
No time to waste 
Ameira Moussa Ali, a mother of five explained why the refugees had not wasted any time in taking matters into their own hands. 
"If you do not educate your children, they are just like animals," she said. 
Kicking his heels in the sand near one of the food distribution centres, 12-year-old Salah said he wanted to get back to proper school as quickly as possible so he could realise his dream of becoming an airline pilot. 
"There's nothing to do at the moment," Salah moaned. "I play with my friends. We draw pictures in the sand of camels and horses. Or sometimes we make two circles and jump from one to the other." 
But with time on his hands, Salah has discovered an entrepreneurial spirit. He has been gathering bits and pieces of metal and stone from around the camp and making toy cars to sell to the other kids. 
"I charge five Sudanese pounds (less than half a US cent) per car and I've sold about six," he said proudly. 
As you pass through the camps all over eastern Chad, the inventiveness of the children is striking. Some have crafted kites from scraps of plastic and twigs, others have used the same materials to make go-karts and race each other round the camps. 
Many are perfectly content scampering behind foreign aid workers and journalists and yelling the snippets of alien tongues they have picked up like "ok" and "ca va?" before collapsing into giggles. 
But aid workers know that the novelty of a new home will wear off and schools need to be set up quickly. 
"Schools are a definite issue. We are still in the grace period but eventually boredom will set in and you'll see more petty crime," IRC's Zajkowski said. "At the moment it doesn't seem to be causing problems or feel like a security issue but school are a priority because we do no know how long that will last." 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Five kilometres of scorching sand and a shallow lake that will soon vanish are all that separate 19,000 Sudanese civilians in Chad's most northerly refugee camp from the troubled land they fled. 
Relief workers fear that the vicious conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region could all too easily spill across the border and engulf them. 
At the moment, rebel soldiers fighting for a better political and economic deal for Darfur, occupy the Sudanese side of the border. They are acting as a buffer zone between the refugees that escaped the campaign of rape, killing and looting and the pro-government Janjawid militias that waged it. 
But nobody knows how long the fragile ceasefire in Darfur will last or how long the rebels will be able to hold on to their current positions. And for many aid workers, the camp at Oure Cassoni is just too close to the border for comfort. 
"These areas around the border near Oure Cassoni are areas that are heavily used by the rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Army. It's a stronghold and so it could be viewed as a military target and... you cannot guarantee the safety of the refugees," explained Kingsley Amaning, the UN Resident Coordinator in Chad. 
"As soon as the rainy season is over, the refugees will have to be relocated," he said in an interview at his office in the capital N'djamena. "The roads become passable again and armed groups can circulate more easily." 
Out in the field -- a desolate expanse of wind-ruffled sand dotted with the occasional tenacious shrub -- the UN refugee agency's point-man for Oure Cassoni maps out possible scenarios. 
"If the Janjawid launched a successful attack, then the rebels would have no choice but to retreat across the border into the camps and the civilian character of the camps would be compromised," Jose Fischel, the UNHCR's chief representative for Oure Cassoni, told IRIN. 
"By road the camp is 17km away from the border. As the crow flies, it's just five km, straight across the lake." 
Aid workers are haunted by the ghosts of the August refugee massacre in Burundi, where 160 inhabitants of the Gatumba transit camp, mainly women and children, were hacked, burned and shot to death by attackers who scuttled across the nearby border from the Democratic Republic of Congo . 

Repercussions for whole operation
"If there was an attack at this camp, the whole operation in eastern Chad would take a blow. Just look what happened in Burundi," Fischel said with a shake of his head. 
Some charities working in the Oure Cassoni camp, which only opened at the end of July, say the location headache could have been avoided. 
"There's definitely concerns having the camp so close to the border. Ideally we would have been 50km away in the first place," said Julia Zajkowski, of the International Rescue Committee. 
"There's no reason why it shouldn't have happened to start with, there was plenty of time. UNHCR was slow to respond." 
But paradoxically the border was also a reason in favour of putting the newest of the 10 refugee camps in eastern Chad at this site. 
The border runs through the middle of a seasonal lake -- a rare expanse of water in this dustbowl region. Once treated, this surface water provides the refugees with enough water for their cooking, washing and drinking needs. 
"The location of the camp was dictated by the availability of water," Fischel said. So even if we want to move the camp, we have to tackle the technical obstacle -- where else is there water?" 
Radar and satellite images have thrown up some possibilities and now technical advisors will embark on reconnaissance missions to check water supplies more thoroughly. 
But even if the water issue is solved, there may be political hurdles to overcome before the refugee camp and its nearly 19,000 inhabitants can pack up and leave. 
Local authorities in Bahai, a random collection of mudhuts and concrete shacks which make up the nearest town to the camp, may well protest about the aid workers going and taking their jobs and spare cash with them. And they have powerful allies. 
"The President comes from the region and his brother is the local tribal leader in Bahai. So that means that local authorities who want to firmly anchor the camp here could talk to the president who could have a word with the authorities in the area we want to move to and the whole thing could be blocked," one humanitarian worker explained. 
All this means, Oure Cassoni's inhabitants will be around for a while. 
"Logistical considerations means the camp will not be going anywhere in the next three months," UNHCR's Fischel said. "But between January and June it's likely the camp will be moved." 

R and R for rebels?  In the meantime, worries linger about whether the rebels are using the camp, which is spacious and well-ordered in contrast to the overcrowded and stretched camps further south, as a place to rest and recuperate. 
UNHCR figures show just seven percent of the population at Oure Cassoni are adult males. 
"It's a very low percentage which is significant in terms of the civilian nature but it does mean we are concerned about visits," Fischel said. He was quick to add that there have so far been no confirmed instances of armed rebels entering the camp. 
The refugees themselves talked openly about people left behind in Darfur. But asked whether the male fighters come across the border to visit their families, they just smiled and shook their heads. 
Some aid workers believe the rebels could indeed be sneaking into the confines of the camp for a break from the fighting in Darfur. 
"You see more people on food distribution days," IRC's Zajkowski told IRIN. "And sometimes after food distribution you see people siphoning off supplies and going back to support people they have left behind. The question is whether those people are family members stuck in Darfur or rebels." 
"There's plenty of support for the SLA in the camp and I think it's very possible that the camp is being used for R&R although I personally have never seen anyone identified to me as a rebel or anyone armed," she added. 
A decision on moving Oure Cassoni has yet to be made, and for now aid workers are not even discussing the prospect with the camp's residents. 
"It's traumatic to be put through relocation," Zajkowski said. "We've not mentioned the possibility to the refugees yet, they need time to catch their breath." 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has expressed concern over the plight of tens of thousands of displaced people in Sudan's South Darfur region, whom it said, continued to suffer because the emergency operation was inadequate, which had led to high child mortality rates. 
"It is a disgrace that just minutes from Nyala international airport, up to 66,000 displaced people continue to live without adequate food or sanitation," said Vince Hoedt, coordinator of MSF's programmes in South Darfur, in a press release issued by the agency on Monday. 
"The people in Kalma camp are completely dependent on food distributions that are irregular and insufficient," said Hoedt. "People fleeing ongoing violence in the region continue to arrive." 
Hoedt said that MSF was providing healthcare and nutritional support in Kalma camp, but more help was urgently required to prevent the situation from getting worse. Newly completed epidemiological surveys carried out by MSF in South Darfur showed that the overall level and quality of aid remained insufficient. 
In Kalma camp near Nyala, where an estimated 66,000 people fleeing violence have sought shelter and MSF is treating 3,900 malnourished children, the survey found malnutrition and mortality rates well above emergency levels, according to the MSF statement. 
"MSF warns that without increased mobilization of aid to South Darfur, the health and nutritional situation in the region could deteriorate further," the statement added. 
The MSF survey, carried out between 2 and 6 September in Kalma camp found that almost a quarter (23.6 percent) of the children under five were malnourished, 3.3 percent of the them so severely that immediate help was necessary to prevent them from dying. 
A retrospective mortality survey was conducted and revealed that in the past seven months, approximately 2,500 people had died, of which 1,100 were children under five. 
"These figures are way above emergency threshold levels. Estimates over the last month do not show any improvement, despite increased access to health resources in Kalma camp. The largest single cause of death in Kalma is diarrhea but violence was responsible for 57 percent of deaths in adults," according to MSF. 
The medical charity said that an additional MSF epidemiological survey carried out at the end of August among the estimated 78,000 people living in Kass, also found a high number of deaths over recent months, especially among children under five. 
In Muhajiriya, 90 km east of Nyala, a survey found less malnutrition but the estimated 13,000 displaced people there were newly arrived, having fled ongoing violence in the region. Eighty-one percent of recent adult deaths in this population were violent. With few possessions and no food reserves, their situation could deteriorate further if urgent assistance was not provided. 
"Displaced people in South Darfur continue to live on the edge. They feel unsafe and are afraid to return to their homes because of ongoing violence, and more people are arriving every day in Kalma and Muhajariya," said Hoedt. "Food distributions have managed to stave off the worst for now, but the situation remains precarious and unless aid is increased and maintained over the long term, preventable deaths from disease and malnutrition will continue." 
MSF currently has more than 200 international aid workers and 2,000 national staff working throughout Darfur and an additional 35 international staff caring for refugees from Darfur who have fled to Chad. 
The conflict in Darfur pits the Sudanese military and militias, said-to-be allied with the government, against rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state. The militias, locally known as Janjawid, have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. 

The two-day international meeting continues in Oslo on Sudan, in an objective to mobilise international aid in favour of the western Darfur region, theatre to a conflict and serious humanitarian crisis, and define the preparation of the post-war following the peace accords between the government and South Sudanese separatists. Since yesterday representatives of 30-some nations and international organisations are gathered in the Norwegian capital along with delegates of Khartoum and the three main Sudanese rebel groups: the SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army), the historic formation of South Sudan in conflict with the north for 20 years; the JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) and the SLA-M (Sudan Liberation Army-Movement), that since February 2003 rose against government forces in Darfur; as also delegates of the Arab League, European Union, United Nations and the World Bank. The first day was dedicated to talks on Darfur: “There are no humanitarian solutions to humanitarian problems, but there is need for drastic improvements in political efforts”, stated Norwegian State Under-Secretary Vidar Helgesen. The rebels of Darfur and Sudan government called on the international community to step up pressures on the counterpart to obtain a peace accord. On return from a visit to Darfur, Mr. Helgesen added that the humanitarian situation remains critical and for this reason it is important to maintain pressures on the Islamic government of Khartoum, following last week’s resolution of the UN Security Council, which also threatened oil sanctions against Sudan, which obtains most of its resources from oil exportation. The Sudanese government representative stated that the situation in Darfur “was dramatised by the international press to give the rebels the impression of being able to remain immune from criticism and not having any responsibility in what is occurring”. According to the UN, the war has so far resulted in over 30,000 victims, 1.45-million displaced and over 150,000 refugees in neighbouring Chad

Sudanese security forces set up roadblocks, searched vehicles and houses and intensified surveillance around the capital, Khartoum, after the government on Friday accused the Islamist opposition Popular National Congress Party of former speaker Hasan Abdullah al-Turabi of plotting to overthrow President Umar Hasan al-Bashir's administration. 
Bashir, in a meeting with supporters from eastern Sudan, said a plot had been uncovered to capture power "regardless of what might happen to the people" of Sudan. He said the foiled coup attempt was "plotted under the leadership and direction" of Turabi. 
"We shall fulfill all our duties towards our homeland and defend the rights of the Sudanese people," Bashir said. "There is true conspiracy against Sudan through the use of sedition, alleged racial cleansing and genocide." 
An opposition leader dismissed the alleged plot. "It is all made up to divert international attention and pressure over the Darfur conflict and other related issues," Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) spokesman Samson Kwaje told reporters in Nairobi. 
Bashir, speaking in another report carried by Sudanese TV on Sunday said: "We truly applaud the citizens' cooperation and their patience regarding the security measures [which] are bothering everyone. But the harassment, which comes as a result of security measures, is easier for the people than the consequences which could arise as a result of a security breach." 
"This attempt has been completely foiled, because all major weapons, except for a few which are in the hands of some people, have been seized," he added. "All senior leaders and field commanders have been arrested, and the rest, God willing, will be arrested in the next few days." 
On 8 September, Sudanese authorities arrested 14 members of the Popular National Congress Party, saying they were attempting to sabotage the peace. Extra police, military and security personnel were deployed on Khartoum streets. 
The government last year accused Turabi of sedition and claimed that his party was supporting the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in the western region of Darfur. The JEM, one of the two rebel groups that are active in Darfur, claims to be fighting to end the marginalisation of the area. 
Turabi helped Bashir to gain power in a 1989 coup and was a key ally of the president for a decade. In 1999 he fell out with Bashir after signing an agreement with the SPLM/A agreeing to oppose the government's "totalitarian course" and acknowledging the right of southern Sudanese to self-determination. He was arrested twice, in February 2001 and in March 2003, then released. His party was banned in March and Turabi placed under house arrest. 

UN urges help for Darfur IDPs
Meanwhile, Louise Arbour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Saturday that the vast numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the troubled western Sudanese Darfur region, had continued to live in a climate of fear, with no confidence in the authorities who have the responsibility to protect them from ongoing abuses. 
Arbour and Juan Méndez, the UN Secretary-General's special adviser on the prevention of genocide, are expected to present a report to the Security Council this week following their visit to Darfur and Khartoum to explore measures that would improve the protection of civilians in Darfur, the UN reported. 
On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Council: "The tragedy in Darfur is one of the greatest challenges the international community faces today. The whole world is watching this tragedy unfold, and it is watching us. No one can be allowed to sidestep or ignore their responsibility to protect the innocent civilians." 
"Our urgent task is to do everything we can to help protect the people of Darfur from further humanitarian suffering, terrible violence, and human rights abuses, and to bring their agony to an end," he said, urging UN member countries to support a stronger African Union presence in order to contain the violence. 
"The crisis in Darfur is not simply an African problem. It concerns the entire international community. Whatever name we give it, it imposes responsibilities on all of us. We must all rise to this challenge," Annan added. 
The conflict in Darfur pits the Sudanese military and militias said to be allied to the government against rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state. The militias, locally known as Janjawid, have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. 
The fighting, which erupted early last year, has displaced about 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described problems spawned by the fighting in Darfur as currently the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. 
On Thursday, Ruud Lubbers, the head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, suggested that the Sudanese government should give autonomy to the western Darfur region to help end the rebellion. "My gut feeling is the best would be that Sudan finds itself in a way where it accepts relative autonomies of regions," the former Dutch prime minister told reporters in Chad. 

"Crisis within a crisis" in the south - ECHO
In Brussels, Xavier Perez Aparicio, Sudan desk officer for the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Commission (ECHO), said the situation in southern Sudan, where a 2002 ceasefire between Khartoum and rebels is in place, as a "crisis within a crisis". 
"The ceasefire since October 2002 has been respected, but there have been some outbreaks as there are a high number of militias in the south. There is also the problem of the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army [LRA], which is independent from the war between the north and the south, but plays a role in the suffering of people," Aparicio said in an interview with Alertnet. 
He noted that during a recent visit to Eastern Equatoria, which borders Uganda and Kenya, it had been found that the LRA had come down from the Imatong Mountains and attacked the people living at the bottom. The rebels took whatever the people had. "It is mainly women and children gathered in the camps, as the men stayed behind to collect whatever was left after the LRA had finished attacking and looting," he said. 
"The humanitarian situation is appalling," he added. "We saw people who had nothing - no access to clean water, no shelter, no proper food. We saw many children who were malnourished. People were cooking some wild food such as plants and herbs, which is obviously not enough for growing children." 
The conflict in southern Sudan erupted in 1983 when rebels in the mainly Christian and animist south took up arms against authorities based in the Muslim, largely Arabised north to demand greater autonomy for their region.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Nearly half of all pregnant women in Sudan deliver their children without the help of skilled birth attendants and as a result many of them die in childbirth, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said on Sunday. 
"The mortality and morbidity rates among women in Sudan is among the highest in the region," Namal Hettiaratchy, UNFPA representative in Sudan, said in a statement to mark the launch of the State of the World Population Report 2004. 
"The report revealed that many developing countries have incorporated population concerns into their development and poverty reduction strategies, established laws and policies to protect women's rights and integrated reproductive health services into primary health care [with] improved facilities, training, and access," Hettiaratchy said. 
According to UNFPA, only 71 percent of pregnant women in Sudan receive antenatal care, 57 percent of deliveries are attended by skilled providers and only 13 percent receive postpartum care during the first six weeks following delivery. 
Coupled with low availability of antenatal services, only eight percent of couples use any type of contraceptive, giving a contraceptive prevalence rate that is far behind the regional and global averages; HIV/AIDS prevalence rates among the general population range from 1.6 to 2.6 percent, UNFPA said. 
Hettiaratchy said various government agencies and organisations had started different initiatives to address population and reproductive health concerns, including a national HIV/AIDS prevention and care programme, but the situation remained challenging. 
Last year, about 3,000 village midwives were trained, while 1,100 new students were recruited for training in 38 schools all over Sudan in 2004. To combat HIV/AIDS, the national prevention and care programme was being implemented, but the remaining challenges needed to be addressed urgently, UNFPA said. 
It added that female genital mutilation was still a widespread practice in Sudan, with a prevalence of 90 percent of married women aged 15 to 45 in the north. But the percentage of women approving female circumcision had declined from 79 percent in 1989/90 to 67 percent in 1999. 
The report noted that every year, 529,000 women died from pregnancy-related complications, with the majority coming from Africa. According to UNFPA, a woman born in Africa had a much higher chance of facing reproductive health problems than a woman from a developed country. 
"Because it is poor women who are suffering and dying, maternal mortality is a crisis that does not get the attention it deserves," Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director, said at the launch of the report in London. 
The report said the use of modern contraception by couples had globally increased to 61 percent, but noted that more than 350 million couples still lacked access to the services. In sub-Saharan Africa, the average number of condoms for each man was only three per year. 
The State of the World Population is an annual report that is published by UNFPA. This year's report, "The Cairo Consensus at Ten: Population, Reproductive Health and the Global Effort to End Poverty," examined countries' achievements and constraints in implementing the Cairo consensus, including efforts to improve the quality and reach of reproductive health programmes, promote women's rights, improve maternal and child health and strengthen HIV prevention efforts. 
It notes that while countries had made real progress in carrying out the 20-year action plan of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, efforts to reduce maternal deaths, to prevent HIV/AIDS, and to meet the needs of young people and the poor had been hampered by a shortfall of funds pledged by donor governments. 

Police have arrested leaders of Sudan’s main opposition party, Popular Congress (PC), chaired by Hassan al Turabi, himself arrested in an analogous operation a few weeks ago. The interior ministry has said in a statement that the operation aimed to prevent unspecified “sabotage activities” against the State. International news agencies report that the main roads in the capital were subjected to careful controls as of early yesterday morning. The government statement claims that police had gathered information concerning a coup attempt as part of investigations following the arrest of dozens of PC members two weeks ago. According to the official note, the presumed “sabotage” was due to begin at 14.00 yesterday; some of those arrested have allegedly pointed to El Haj Adam Jussef (the party’s organisational secretary) as being the plot leader. Police have called on the population to help arrest Jussef, who is currently on the run. The Italian news agency ANSA reports that members of the armed forces are also among those arrested. The quarter hosting the military commands was isolated yesterday evening, while the search for escaped plotters is still going on.

“5.000 soldiers are ready for deployment to Darfur but we do not have the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to send them,” said Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria and current Chairman of the African Union, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The world body’s special representative in Sudan, Jan Pronk has told reporters that the UN and the AU will study a joint plan for the deployment of a force of at least 5.000 troops in the vast western region on the border with Chad, where 18 months’ fighting and violence have led to what has been described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. So far, only Canada has pledged to allocate 20 million dollars for the expansion of the mission but Pronk nonetheless announced that the joint UN-AU commission will present the Security Council with a report by 30 September for possible discussion on 5 October. 133 AU observers are currently present in Darfur with the task of monitoring the ceasefire agreement signed by the government of Khartoum and the two rebel movements active in the region on 8 April. The pan-African organisation subsequently deployed around 300 Rwandan and Nigerian soldiers to Darfur for their protection.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Ruud Lubbers, the head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, has urged the Sudanese government to give autonomy to the western Darfur region to help end a rebellion there which has led to massive reprisals by Arab militias against black African villagers. 
Lubbers first issued the call for autonomy in Darfur in an interview with the BBC on Thursday night. He repeated it on arrival in Chad on Friday at the start of a visit to camps hosting 200,000 refugees from Darfur in the east of the country. 
"My gut feeling is the best would be that Sudan finds itself in a way where it accepts relative autonomies of regions," the former Dutch prime minister told the BBC. 
Lubbers, who has a reputation for being outspoken, developed this idea at a press conference on arrival in the Chadian capital N'djamena a few hours later. 
"It is important to find solutions for moving forward," he said. "It is a question of sharing power up to a certain point. It doesn't amount to putting the territorial integrity of the Sudan at risk". 
"This country is engaged in negotiating a power-sharing deal with rebels in the south," Lubbers observed. 
"This experience is important for allowing the population of Darfur to move forward. I don't see that sharing power should create a big problem for the territorial integrity of Sudan. There are many big countries which have evolved by sharing power between the capital and the regions." 
His remarks, which followed the collapse of peace talks between Khartoum and the Darfur rebels in Abuja, Nigeria, last week, drew a favourable initial reaction from the Sudanese government. 
Welcoming Lubbers' comments, Sudanese Justice Minister Ali Osman Yassin told the BBC: "The deal brokered with the south contains guiding principles for the idea of establishing a federal government with broader powers for the states, similar to the powers given to the south of Sudan." 
The United Nations estimates that about 50,000 people have died during the 19-month-old conflict in Darfur, a sparsely populated area of semi-desert the size of France. 
A further 1.4 million have been made homeless as the pro-government Janjawid militia forces, supported by air force bombers and helicopter gunships, have atttacked villages of Zaghawa, Fur and Masalit tribesmen and have driven them from their homes. 
The United States has accused Khartoum of allowing the Arab Janjawid militiamen to commit genocide against Darfur's black African population, but Lubbers would not be drawn on this emotive use of language. 
"People have talked about genocide as well as ethnic cleansing. Whether or not it is genocide or ethnic cleansing, what is happening in Darfur is serious," he said. "It doesn't do any good to debate such issues. The important thing is to stop the violence." 
The UN World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated earlier this month that 10,000 people were dying each month in Darfur as a result of the conflict, mostly of disease and hunger. 
Lubbers, who was due to tour the refugee camps in eastern Chad at the weekend, appealed for more international aid to help the 200,000 Sudanese who have fled over the border. 
"We have seen an enormous increase in the number of Sudanese refugees," he said. "When I was here six months ago there were just 50,000..There is a problem of financial resources. Where will we find the means to provide more help to these refugees? How will we find a solution because Chad is a poor country? There is also an additional problem: infrastructure must be put in place that is available for the people of eastern Chad who are living with the refugees as well as the population that has been displaced." 
Last month the UN Organisation for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) trebled its appeal for funds to help the Darfur refugees to US$166 million until the end of this year. It had previously sought $54 million for the refugees in March. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The European Union (EU) has welcomed last week's adoption by the United Nations Security Council of a resolution that warns Sudan of punitive measures, including sanctions, if it failed to protect civilians in the strife-torn western region of Darfur. 
"The EU fully supports the appeal made by the Security Council on the government of Sudan to meet its obligations towards all Sudanese and the international community," said a declaration issued by the EU presidency in Brussels on Wednesday. "The European Union joins the Security Council in deploring the recent cease-fire violations and stresses the urgency of ending the climate of impunity in Darfur by bringing to justice those responsible, including members of the popular defence forces and Janjawid militia." 
The conflict in Darfur pits the Sudanese military and militias said to be allied to the government against rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state. The militias, locally known as Janjawid, have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. 
The fighting, which erupted early last year, has displaced about 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described problems spawned by the fighting in Darfur as currently being the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. 
The Council resolution noted that despite progress made by the Sudanese government in lifting administrative obstructions to the delivery of humanitarian relief in Darfur, Khartoum had not fully met its obligations outlined in an earlier resolution calling on the government to improve security and protect civilians. 
The Council requested the UN Secretary-General to rapidly establish an international commission of inquiry, which would immediately investigate reports of human rights violations in Darfur, and determine whether acts of genocide had been committed. The US has described atrocities against civilians there as genocide. 
"The European Union attaches great importance to the establishment of an international commission of inquiry to immediately investigate all reports of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in Darfur by all parties, to determine whether acts of genocide have occurred and to identify the perpetrators of such violations with a view to having them brought to justice," said the EU statement. 
The EU said it would continue to support efforts by the African Union (AU) to end the conflict in Darfur. The pan-African body has sent 310 Nigerian and Rwandan troops to Darfur, mandated to protect 185 AU observers there. The AU is also involved with peace talks between the Sudanese government and the two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement. 
"The European Union recognises the need for continued humanitarian assistance and will sustain its contributions in support of those affected by the conflict in Darfur," said the EU declaration. 
In a related development, Japan has said it would provide an additional US $15 million to fund UN efforts in Darfur. 
Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew also said on Wednesday that Ottawa would contribute $20 million to fund a strengthened AU mission in Darfur. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The number of people affected by conflict in the troubled western Sudanese region of Darfur rose to 1.8 million in August, of whom 1.45 million were internally displaced persons (IDPs), the United Nations said on Wednesday. 
"The number is higher because of a combination of two factors - we are now accessing new areas and have registered new IDPs, and there have been fresh arrivals of IDPs fleeing their villages," Jennifer Abrahamson, spokesperson for the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan told IRIN. "The number is likely to increase because we are now reaching more rebel territory." 
According to the UN's Darfur Humanitarian Profile for September, which was released on Wednesday, another unknown number within Darfur's estimated population of six million who were neither IDPs nor host community had also been affected. 
"Despite the signalling of a ceasefire agreement on 8 April, general insecurity persists throughout the region with continuing violence, banditry and lawlessness by various armed groups," it said. "The scale and impact of the crisis on the civilian population continues to rise due to an uncertain security environment." 
Many of the IDPs coming from rural areas had reported continuing harassment and violence, the profile noted, especially sexual and gender-based violence. "While it is clear that there are more police on the ground, this has had little impact on the security situation as IDPs continue to state that they have no confidence in the police," it said. 
"Humanitarian agencies are increasingly concerned about Darfur authorities [who] plan to relocate or return displaced persons who have shown no interest to return until a secure environment has been established," it added. 
In Khartoum, however, a spokesman for the Sudanese armed forces, Gen Mohamed Bashir Sulieman, denied that clashes were continuing between the army and rebels in Darfur. The Sudan News Agency quoted the spokesman in a statement as saying that the "military situation was stable all over the Darfur region". 
The Darfur report was released as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, and the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Juan Méndez, who are visiting Darfur, said they had found a pervasive sense of fear in the IDP camps. 
A UN spokesman, José Luis Díaz, said humanitarian conditions in the IDP camps had improved, but the nature of the violence seemed to have shifted, with fewer major attacks on villages but more reports of violence against individuals, the UN reported. 
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent Arbour and Mendez to Darfur last week to assess how the conflict-affected people there could be better protected from attacks by government-allied militia, known as the Janjawid. 
On Saturday, the UN Security Council adopted a US-sponsored resolution threatening to "consider taking additional measures, including sanctions, to affect Sudan's oil sector and the government or its individual members" unless there were tangible efforts to protect civilians in Darfur against militia attacks. 
The Council said that despite progress made by the Sudanese government in lifting administrative obstructions to the delivery of humanitarian relief in Darfur, Khartoum had not fully met its obligations outlined in an earlier resolution calling on the government to improve security and protect civilians. 
But the Sudanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the resolution had neglected the points included in the report of the Secretary-General on what had been accomplished in the humanitarian and security fields. It said the resolution had created a negative atmosphere for the peace efforts. 
"The government of Sudan believes that all parties should have been committed under this circumstances to concentration of efforts for supporting the efforts of the African Union (AU) that aim to achieve peace instead of issuing resolutions that put pressures on the government only," the ministry statement said. 
Meanwhile Amnesty International, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the picture in Darfur was one of distress, denial and disappointment. "Distress of people whose lives and livelihood have been destroyed, denial of responsibility by the Sudanese government and disappointment at the slow progress to resolve this crisis," it noted. 
It said its delegates had visited Al Jeneina, Nyala and El Fasher, and met with senior government ministers and officials in Khartoum and Darfur, as well as international organizations and civil society representatives. "The visit confirmed Amnesty's earlier analysis of attacks on villages by government supported militia, in some cases backed by the Sudanese armed forces, killing civilians, looting and burning homes," Amnesty said. 
"While we found engagement and admission of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by some members of the government there was total denial by others. Such denial is insulting to the victims," Irene Khan, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, said. 
According to Amnesty, its delegates visited displaced people from nomadic tribes now in Musai camp near Nyala, where they heard "mirror image" accounts of killings and rapes said to have been committed by the insurgents. 
The conflict in Darfur pits the Sudanese military and militias said to be allied to the government against rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state.  The Janjawid militias have, however, been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. 
The fighting, which erupted early last year, has displaced about 1.2 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described problems spawned by the fighting in Darfur as currently the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Insecurity and clashes between the various armed groups in the troubled western Sudanese region of Darfur have continued to hinder efforts by humanitarian organisations to reach some of the people affected by the conflict there, a UN spokeswoman said on Tuesday. 
During the month of August, an estimated 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur could not be reached by aid workers because of clashes between armed groups and general insecurity, Jennifer Abrahamson, spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told IRIN by telephone from Khartoum. 
Some 70,000 of those who could not be reached were in South Darfur, 25,000 in North Darfur and another 5,000 in West Darfur, Abrahamson said. "It is a relatively fluid situation. Insecurity remains an enormous concern for us," she added. 
According to OCHA'S latest situation report on Darfur, clashes between Sudanese government forces and fighters of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) on 18 September in Bobay Sifili village, 71 km west of El Fasher, had prevented an inter-agency team from commencing assessment of villages in Tawilla rural areas in North Darfur. A similar incident was reported on 16 September in Ailliet, about 250 km south east of El Fasher. 
In South Darfur, banditry continued to be reported on major routes in the region, according to the report. On 16 September the World Food Programme (WFP) reported that a privately contracted lorry moving WFP commodities out of El Daein had been stopped 13 km north of the town (on the Muhujarija route) in Kiliekle by unidentified gunmen. 
Abrahamson however noted that humanitarian agencies had at the same time been able to reach conflict-affected people in some other areas that were previously inaccessible. 
According to the OCHA report, increased access last week to areas controlled by the rebel SLA, particularly in Jebel Marras, had enabled non-governmental organisations to expand their operations there. 
WFP reported that the arrival of approximately 100 additional trucks in the Darfur region had further facilitated the timely dispatch of food to accessible areas. 
Despite increased interventions, the World Health Organization's (WHO) retrospective mortality survey released last week, which looked at the crude mortality rate of IDPs in the period between 15 June - 15 August, had shown that death rates were not yet under control during the reporting period. 
In North Darfur, the survey estimated that the crude mortality rate was about three times the expected rate for Africa, while in West Darfur the rate was six times greater. In Kalma camp, the rate was seven times greater that the expected level of 0.5 deaths per 10,000 a day. 
According to the survey, the estimates suggested the humanitarian situation was still in the emergency phase - recognised as more than one death per 10,000 a day.  The main cause of death was reported to be diarrhoea, indicating a need for additional interventions in the water and sanitation sector, the OCHA report said. 
The conflict in Darfur pits the Sudanese military and militias said to be allied to the government against rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state. The militias, locally known as Janjawid, have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. 
The fighting, which erupted early last year, has displaced more than 1.4 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described problems caused by the fighting in Darfur as currently the worst humanitarian crises in the world. 

In an extraordinary cabinet meeting presided by Vice-President Ali Osman Taha, the Sudanese Ministers yesterday declared that they will comply and implement the new resolution n.1564 adopted by the United Nations Security Council on Darfur, though condemning the threat of sanctions contained in the text as “unfair”. The resolution, approved by 11 of the 15 nations of the Security Council, in fact threatens “additional measures as contemplated in Article 41 of the Charter of the United Nations, such as actions to affect Sudan's petroleum sector and the Government of Sudan or individual members of the Government of Sudan, in order to take effective action to obtain such full compliance or full co-operation”. China, Russia, Pakistan and Algeria abstained. Following are some points of the resolution: The Security Council:
- Declares its grave concern that the Government of Sudan has not fully met its obligations noted in resolution 1556 (2004) and the 3 July Joint Communique with the Secretary General to improve, as expected by the Council, the security of the civilian population of Darfur in the face of continued depredations, and deplores the recent ceasefire violations by all parties, in particular the reports by the Ceasefire Commission of Government of Sudan helicopter assaults and Janjaweed attacks on Yassin, Hashaba and Gallab villages on 26 August 2004;
 - Calls on all Sudanese parties to take the necessary steps to ensure that violations reported by the Ceasefire Commission are addressed immediately and that those responsible for such violations are held accountable; 
- Welcomes and supports the intention of the African Union to enhance and augment its monitoring mission in the Darfur region of Sudan, and encourages the undertaking of proactive monitoring;
- Calls upon the Government of Sudan and the rebel groups, particularly the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement, to work together under the auspices of the African Union to reach a political solution in the negotiations currently being held in Abuja under the leadership of President Obasanjo, notes the progress made to date, urges the parties to the negotiations to sign and implement the humanitarian agreement immediately, and to conclude a protocol on security issues as soon as possible, and underscores and supports the role of the African Union in monitoring the implementation of all such agreements reached; 
- Reiterates its call for the Government of Sudan to end the climate of impunity in Darfur by identifying and bringing to justice all those responsible, including members of popular defence forces and Janjaweed militias, for the widespread human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, and insists that the Government of Sudan take all appropriate steps to stop all violence and atrocities; 
- Demands that the Government of Sudan submit to the African Union mission for verification documentation, particularly the names of Janjaweed militiamen disarmed and names of those arrested for human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law; 
- Requests that the Secretary General rapidly establish an international commission of inquiry in order immediately to investigate reports of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in Darfur by all parties, to determine also whether or not acts of genocide have occurred; 
- Calls on Member States to provide in an urgent manner generous and sustained contributions to the humanitarian efforts under way in Darfur and Chad to address the shortfall in response to continued United Nations appeals, emphasises the need for Member States to fulfil their pledges forthwith, and welcomes the substantial contributions made to date
Sudan Foreign Under-Secretary Mutrif Sideeq yesterday told the State Radio Omdurman: “We feel that the resolution is faulty and sends the wrong message to the rebels”. According to other sources, Khartoum authorities defined the position taken by the UN as “unfair”. A different reaction arrived from Germany, welcoming the UN Security Council Resolution and through its Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer affirming that, “despite some progress in the past weeks, the government of Khartoum must be urged further to comply with previous commitments”. Contrasting stands emerged in regard to the government of Sudanese President Omar el Bashir during Saturday’s Security Council discussions. Munir Akram, Pakistani representative in the Security Council, motivated his nation’s abstention from the resolution with the absence of recognition in the text of the “progress made” by Khartoum, recognised in the September 15 report drawn up by Kofi Annan and his special representative in Darfur. China, which threatened to resort to its veto right and has strong oil interests in Sudan, expressed appreciation for the enormous and inestimable efforts of the African Union in seeking a solution to the ongoing crisis, urging the international community to support efforts of the Pan-African organisation. The full support of the AU emerges clearly in the resolution and represents among the key political passages also for the future of the continent and handling of other African conflicts. Also Algeria declared itself contrary to the threat of sanctions decided by the majority of the Council, adding that it expected recognition for Khartoum’s progress in maintaining commitments. A different opinion was instead expressed by the nations that voted the resolution: the French delegate admitted that the report issued by Annan and his envoy acknowledges the progress, but reiterated that “the international community is attending the disarmament of the Janjaweed militants and punishment of human rights violations”, while British Emyr Jones Parry stated “only a political solution can lead to a sustainable peace in Sudan”. Sudan’s representative to the UN, Elfaith Mohamed Ahmed Erwa, stated “the entire world has turned its attention to the Security Council, to see whether it would be used for political means” and that the resolution “discourages the people of Darfur instead of encouraging them to maintain collaboration” with the government of Khartoum. Mr. Erwa added that the haste and pressures for the introduction of the resolution contributed to the stalling of negotiations in Abuja, and were aimed only at pleasing the US Congress, which considers itself “the world’s only conscience”. (Translation of article compiled by Emiliano Bos)

The Sudanese government has condemned as "discreditable" a UN resolution threatening to impose sanctions against the country if Khartoum does not improve security and protect civilians in the troubled western region of Darfur. 
"This resolution, according to our assessment, frustrates our aims and is discreditable," Mutrif Siddiq, undersecretary in Sudan's Foreign Ministry, said on state-run television on Sunday. 
"Threatening to impose sanctions gives wrong and negative signals which could be harmful ... It also gives a negative signal to the armed groups, telling them a sword has been put on the Sudanese government and therefore it has to wait and see... the armed groups will not negotiate with good intentions," Siddiq said. 
The UN Security Council on Saturday adopted a US-sponsored resolution threatening to "consider taking additional measures, including sanctions, to affect Sudan's oil sector and the government or its individual members" unless there were tangible efforts to protect civilians in Darfur against militia attacks. 
The conflict in Darfur pits the Sudanese military and militias said to be allied to the government against rebels fighting to end alleged marginalisation and discrimination of Darfur residents by the state. The militias, locally known as Janjawid, have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians.
The fighting, which erupted early last year, has displaced about 1.2 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described problems spawned by the fighting in Darfur as currently the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. 
The new Security Council resolution noted that despite progress made by the Sudanese government in lifting administrative obstructions to the delivery of humanitarian relief in Darfur, Khartoum had not fully met its obligations outlined in an earlier resolution calling on the government to improve security and protect civilians. 
The Council requested the Secretary-General to rapidly establish an international commission of inquiry, which would immediately investigate reports of human rights violations in Darfur, and determine whether acts of genocide had been committed. The US has described atrocities against civilians in Darfur as genocide. 
Meanwhile, two members of the US House of Representatives said on Sunday the Sudanese government must allow more African Union (AU) troops to provide security in Darfur to avoid UN sanctions. 
Speaking in Khartoum,  Democratic Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr said the new resolution was "an opportunity [for Khartoum] to go on the offensive to improve the immediate humanitarian situation and increase security in Darfur". 
"No one actually wants to see sanctions placed on Sudan," Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe stated, "but it is the only way to apply pressure and to encourage change". 
Both congressmen called for increased pressure on the Sudanese government to improve security within and outside of the internally displaced persons [IDP] camps in Darfur. 
According to Jackson, "the AU is the most credible international force on the ground. I am convinced that the first step is providing security for the region [with] at least 4,000 African Union monitors and protection forces in the region". The AU currently has 310 protection officers and 185 observers in Darfur. 
Kolbe said that Khartoum could not resort to earlier UN demands to deploy more police in Darfur because "there is absolutely no trust between the people and the police". USAID administrator Andrew Natsios has also called on the Sudanese government to withdraw security forces from the IDP camps. 
After a two-week assessment in Khartoum and Darfur, Natsios reported that IDPs had claimed some of the people in uniform were the same ones who had killed their relatives. Natsios further noted that many of the militias in government military uniform were better equipped than the police, and that only regular forces, not militias, should be assigned to protect the IDP camps. 
Both congressman and Natsios confirmed that humanitarian access had improved, but the death toll among civilians had continued to rise and people were still being displaced. 
Natsios warned the humanitarian crisis could deteriorate with the continuing conflict, drought, and an impending arrival of swarms of locusts. 
According to UN field reports, recent clashes in rural areas of South Darfur between government forces and rebel fighters had caused massive influxes of IDPs into camps. In one week, Gereida camp witnessed 30,000 new arrivals. 
"People shouldn't quibble over the numbers of people killed," Kolbe said. "The point is that it is a major humanitarian catastrophe." 
Jackson said that Khartoum must "break the cycle of pain, break the cycle of the blame-game," and address the problem in Darfur immediately. Kolbe chairs, and Jackson is a member of the Congressional subcommittee that oversees US $260 million in funding to improve the Darfur humanitarian situation. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Ousmane's mother thought that in Chad her son would be safe from the violence that engulfed their village in the Darfur region of neighbouring Sudan. Now he lies in a hospital bed, his right arm broken in two by an angry local farmer. 
The seven-year-old boy had taken the family's goat herd to graze last week. He dozed off under a tree as the animals nibbled at the slim pickings outside the Iridimi refugee camp in eastern Chad. 
The next thing he knew was that an enraged villager from a nearby hamlet was dragging him along, beating his arm with a stick and yelling that Sudanese refugees should keep off Chadian land. 
Ousmane's arm snapped like a twig, but he managed to squirm free and escape back to the refugee camp. 
"When they do things like this, it brings back memories of the terrible things that happened to us back home," Abakar Atom, the chairman of the refugee community at Iridimi refugee camp, told IRIN at the weekend. 
Chad shares a 1,000 km-long mainly desert border with Sudan. Over the past year, nearly 200,000 people have swarmed across seeking refuge from the campaign of slaughter, looting and rape being waged in Darfur by the Janjawid pro-government militia. 
Before the international humanitarian machine kicked into action, the local Chadian population, which comes from the same ethnic groups and speaks the same languages as the refugees, shared what little food they had with the new arrivals. 
Although the Chadians themselves are nearly destitute, they even offered some of the refugees jobs. 
But as Pierre Atchom, a protection officer for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, explained, relations are now more tense. 
"Things deteriorated because the refugees are starting to manage on their own," Atchom said at his base in Iriba, a town of mud huts, which has three refugee camps within a 40 km radius. 
"Now, the refugees are more comfortably off than the locals, above all because they at least have something to eat," he added. 
Atchom explained that while the refugees receive food handouts from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the local Chadian population, which shared its own meagre food stocks with the refugees in the early days of the influx, faces a lean harvest next month after a generally poor rainy season. 
"Sometimes the villagers just yell at the refugees, sometimes they confiscate their animals. In the worst cases, they come to blows," he said. 
Punchbag
Outside the Touloum camp last week, locals attacked one refugee woman, turning her face into a punchbag because she was encroaching on their resources. 
After incidents like this, retaliation is always a worry. 
"We have refugees going out armed with knives to avenge themselves. In one case they couldn't find who they were looking for; in another we were there and made them go back to the camps," Atchom explained. 
The most common sources of conflict between refugees and the local population are disputes over access to grazing land, water and wood. 
Chad, a landlocked country under threat from an advancing Sahara desert, has strict laws about felling trees to prevent deforestation and desertification. But the refugees from Darfur chop down whatever firewood they can find regardless. 
UN officials say in some cases, Chad's forestry officials have arrested offending refugees and fined them for felling a species on the forbidden list. 
But most of the time, the local population's anger simply stems having to share precious resources. 
Aid workers are all too keenly aware of the serious conflicts which this situation could ignite.
"There's the worry if we pump too much water for the refugee camps, that we'll suck it away from the local population," said Karl Skovgaard Moller of Norwegian Church Aid, which is involved in constructing the camps in the Iriba area. 
Just three days ago at Touloum camp, which is home to more than 15,000 refugees, one of the boreholes was knocked out of action by a disgruntled Chadian neighbourl. 
For weeks he had been protesting that the water source, tapped with the approval of Chadian authorities, actually lay on his own property and not on state land. 
Aid workers said the man had been regularly sending children and youths to carry out minor acts of vandalism and harass refugees as they drew water from the borehole, but on Friday things turned more serious. 
Four men appeared, armed with handguns, to cut the water pipes and shut the borehole down. They are now in cells at the police station in Iriba but the disgruntled local, alleged to have recruited the men, has since turned up at the UNHCR base, hurling threats and abuse. 
"We are working to prevent this kind of thing," Atchom told IRIN. "But it' s a situation that has the potential to degenerate." 
Gendarmes at the gates
As part of their drive to improve security, the UN refugee agency UNHCR has just installed a first batch of Chadian gendarmes at Iridimi, where Ousmane's mother remains traumatised by the attack on her son. 
The three military policemen are part of a contingent of 180 gendarmes that will eventually be deployed at refugee camps across the region under the terms of an accord signed last month between the United Nations and the Chadian government. 
"It's a strategy with a double aim - to deter the local population from doing anything stupid and to reassure the refugees," Atchom said. 
At Iridimi, the gendarmes are camped about 600 metres from the camp in the area where refugees come to collect wood and graze their animals. The policemen will only go into the camp if called upon by the refugees, who will eventually be provided with whistles to signal distress. 
Eventually Iridimi should have a 16-strong protection force, including two policewomen. But this still means only one gendarme for  every 1,000 refugees. 
On Saturday, aid workers escorted the newly arrived policemen to to the camp's community centre to introduce them to refugee leaders. At the meeting all sides expressed hope that people can pull together and work towards the same goal - safety for all. 
But privately some participants expressed doubt. 
"I think we need international gendarmes", Atom, the chairman of the refugee community said shortly before the meeting. "If it's Chadian gendarmes maybe they have families, maybe they are too close to the situation." 
And UN officials worry that the policemen may become to close to the refugees, particularly the women. They are at pains to prevent 'sex for work' relationships developing. 
Too much to ask?
These tensions between locals and refugees at the camps around Iriba are mirrored up and down eastern Chad, but as one aid worker pointed out, it is easy to make snap judgments. 
"If it was 200,000 people turning up in a European country, would people's arms be open or would they start worrying about their jobs and playing the nationalist card?" he said. 
In Chad the picture is not all doom and gloom. In the border town of Tine, an hour and a half's drive east of Iriba, refugees from Tine-Sudan have set up home across the wadi that forms the border in Tine-Chad. They are full of praise for the local people. 
"They've been very good to us. There have never been any problems between us. It's like a mother looking after her children," said refugee Ismail Ahmad Abdullaye, who left his home in Darfur with just the shirt on his back. 
Some refugees in Tine are reluctant to leave for the camps. 
"Being in their midst we feel our safety is guaranteed. They surround us and protect us," said Adjba Bachir, who is living in a ramshackle shelter of sticks and straw with her six children. "Aren't we better off staying here?" 
However UNHCR is keen to move all the Sudanese refugees to camps situated at least 50 km from the border, to keep them well clear of the 19-month-old conflict in Darfur. This threatens to smoulder on for some time following the collapse of the latest round of peace talks between Khartoum and the rebels in Nigeria last week. 
Chad has frequently accused the Janjawid of frequently raiding across the border and Tine-Chad found itself being bombed by Sudanese military planes earlier this year as the Sudanese government tried to dislodge rebel fighters from Tine-Sudan. 

Following a day of bilateral meetings, declarations, retractions, the only certain factor on the future of the peace talks underway in Abuja (Nigeria) for an end to the conflict in Darfur appears that they will resume October 10. The decision was announced yesterday evening by Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail, speaking from Cairo, in Egypt, after meeting with the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Mussa. “The talks have not failed”, added Minister Ismail. Since August 23 in the Nigerian capital delegates of the Sudan government have been meeting with those of the two rebel movements active in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, where an unprecedented humanitarian crisis is affecting over a million people, among displaced, refugees and victims. Since February 2003 the armed groups rose against the government of Khartoum, accused of neglecting Darfur because inhabited prevalently by blacks and of backing the Janjaweed Arab militants, considered responsible for the violence against the Afro tribes of the region. African Union (AU) mediators yesterday met separately with representatives of the two rebel movements of Darfur, the SLA-M (Sudan Liberation Army-Movement) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement), in an apparently vain attempt to obtain their consent on the accord with the government to permit access to humanitarian agencies in the Sudanese western regions, torn by 18 months of war. It appears that for the moment the two rebel groups have rejected the AU proposal, remaining firm in their stands, and leading to the decision to postpone the negotiations by four weeks.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Several thousand internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have sought refuge in El Fasher, capital of the Sudanese state of North Darfur, said they fled their villages because of continuing attacks by armed men, relief workers reported. 
The IDPs also claimed the assailants had raped women and looted property, the sources said. Some of the displaced people claimed the attackers were Janjawid militia - a government-allied group accused by human rights groups of committing widespread atrocities against civilians in the three states of West, South and North Darfur. 
Jennifer Abrahamson, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Khartoum, told IRIN on Thursday that an inter-agency assessment team was trying to establish exactly why the IDPs fled. 
"They arrived about a week ago from villages south of El Fasher and we are trying to find out what happened," Abrahamson said. "It is estimated that nearly 1,000 households - roughly 5,000 people, have fled into the town." 

UN team to look into ways to prevent abuses
In New York, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced that he was sending the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, and his Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Juan Méndez, to Darfur to recommend what could be done to protect civilians there from attacks by local militias. 
"Their job is not to describe or characterise what is happening, but to see what more can be done to stop it, and to prevent further abuses," Annan told reporters, adding "civilians are still being attacked and fleeing their villages even as we speak." 
Annan also said he had told the Security Council that he wanted a proposed commission of inquiry into whether there was genocide in Darfur to proceed. 
The United States circulated a draft resolution on Darfur among Council members after its Secretary of State, Colin Powell, said last week that the killings in the war-torn region over the past year constituted genocide. "It seems to me inconceivable that [the Council] should fail to respond. In any case, the Council must be fully engaged. It must continue to pressure all sides," UN News on Thursday reported Annan as saying. 
He said the ceasefire in Darfur had been broken by both sides - the Sudanese government forces and the region's two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement. 

Renewed violence in Southern Darfur 
On Monday, Oxfam Canada reported that tens of thousands of newly displaced people fleeing renewed violence in South Darfur State had arrived at the Gereida camp, 100 km south of Nyala, the main town in the state. "The camp population increased from 10,000 to 40,000 within seven days," Gemma Swart, Oxfam Canada communications officer in Sudan, told IRIN. "There was increased violence in the rural areas around Gereida, which led to people fleeing their homes and coming into the camp." 
The relief agency warned that the camp had been overwhelmed by the fresh arrivals. Its population increased from 10,000 IDPs on 26 August to over 40,000 by 7 September. "People are still arriving every day," Oxfam said. 
The United Nations in Sudan said the influx had resulted from security problems in the area. Other relief workers said the IDPs were fleeing Janjawid attacks as well as continuing clashes between Sudanese government forces and the rebels, who claim to be fighting against the marginalisation of Darfur by Khartoum. 

Displacement in southeast Sudan 
The two-year conflict in Darfur has displaced about 1.2 million people. Another 200,000 have fled across the border into Chad. The United Nations says the conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world at the moment. 
It is, however, not the only humanitarian crisis to have erupted in Sudan as the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army, a rebel group in southern Sudan, appeared to move towards agreement at peace talks in Kenya. Clashes this year in the Shilluk Kingdom in southeastern Sudan have also driven thousands of people from their homes. 
Sources told IRIN that the IDPs, who have been living in Malakal and Tonga towns, were reluctant to return to their homes because they feared they might be attacked by government soldiers and militias. 
The conflict between the state and the SPLA/M erupted in 1983 when rebels in southern Sudan, populated mainly by Christians and people who practice traditional African religions, took up arms to demand greater autonomy for their region from the largely Arabised, Muslim north. 
On 6 November 2003 the government and the SPLM/A extended a cessation of hostilities agreement signed nearly two years ago to allow peace talks aimed at ending the civil war to continue. 
Since then, agreement has been reached on a number of key issues, including power-sharing, the sharing of wealth between Khartoum and the south and the place of religion in the state. 

IDPs returning to areas devoid of services 
Progress at the talks has already prompted some 100,000 IDPs who had been living in the north to return to the south, an NGO working in the region said.
However, Action by Churches Together (ACT), which on 8 September appealed for US $12.5 million for repatriation, relief and rehabilitation programmes in southern Sudan, said the returnees were going back to areas that lacked basic social services such as health, educational facilities and infrastructure. Food and water were not readily available in these areas, it said. 
Aid workers and local observers in southern Sudan said the constant movement of soldiers and government-allied militias along the White Nile had heightened fear among thousands of other IDPs. The observers also said ethnic rivalry had led to escalating tension in parts of the south. 

Let us move to other issues addressed by the United Nations Secretary General in the same interview with the BBC, or at least based on the excerpts published so far: Darfur and the Middle East. These, obviously, are practically ignored or put on a second level by the top international media, because Annan’s reactions are not as easy to transform into ‘shock news’.
“Question: The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has said that what's going on in Sudan is genocide, do you agree with him? -Answer: “...I've talked about the atrocious and systematic and grave... gross violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law... So all that will have to be looked at for one to make a determination and I think the [Security] Council is prepared... is discussing the issue of the setting up a commission. –Question: How long will it be before you're in a position to make that designation? -Answer: I can't give you a time. We are going to be prepared to move as quickly as possible. But I also made it clear to the Council that we don't have to wait for the results to act. The situation is serious enough for us to take action to maintain the pressure on the government to do everything we can to assist the people in Sudan and they are going to support the expanded African force that is going to go into Sudan.” Here Annan appears to come back in line with canons of diplomacy, not directly denying Powell’s statements, despite provocations by the journalist. He speaks in vague, or measured terms. But it is evident that, fully aware of the value and implications of international law and the term genocide, he does not agree in the slightest with Powell and that part of the world attempting to pass off what is occurring in Darfur as something different than what it is; i.e. a serious humanitarian crisis, maybe the worst underway today in Africa, caused by the ongoing conflict between the government of Khartoum (with worthy allies on the field) and two rebel groups that, not by chance have emerged and gained international prominence (and enormous backing from various sources, not only political) just as the peace process with South Sudan, after years of instability, appeared headed toward a positive conclusion, still today not completely ratified. In regard to the term ‘genocide’, it is evident that Annan takes into consideration what many attempt to ignore: the tremendous crime that gained juridical relevance particularly after the ‘Shoa’ in World War II – and recently, after the Rwandan tragedy of 1994 – finds definition and a legal base, maybe disputable and adjournable, but that cannot be set aside, in one of the first UN Conventions (1948), ratified by over 130 nations. Beyond this context, the use of the term can only have political valence of pressure and propaganda, but cannot give cause for international legal measures. Therefore also here – despite Annan does not even make indirect referral – we are before a matter of international legality; though undoubtedly, after the war in Iraq, international law has suffered wounds difficult to cure. (Continues

It is still not clear whether the African Union (AU)-sponsored negotiations between the protagonists of the Darfur crisis, underway in Abuja (Nigeria) for three weeks, have run aground definitively. A representative of JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) – one of the two armed groups that rose up against the central government of Khartoum in February 2003, accusing it of neglecting Darfur on the grounds that it is inhabited mainly by black Africans and of backing the Janjaweed (Arab predators) who are considered the main perpetrators of the violence against the local tribes people – told the international press that dialogue with the government has collapsed definitively due to irremediable differences between the sides, particularly concerning security and disarmament. However, for now only JEM has declared the negotiations “over”; SLA-M (Sudan’s Liberation Army-Movement), the oldest and largest of the two rebel groups, has met to decide how to proceed, while Khartoum has said that it intends to remain at the negotiating table, at the same time pointing the finger at the rebels and the United States for interrupting dialogue. The AU has not made an official statement either, although there are rumours that it could decide to suspend the negotiations for four weeks. Meanwhile, the Sudanese foreign minister Moustapha Osman Ismail has “rejected” the new draft resolution presented by the US to the United Nations Security Council a few days ago after the passages present in the earlier draft referring to economic sanctions against the oil sector in particular had been softened. “Like the first draft, the document is unbalanced and so we are rejecting it in the same way that we rejected the other,” said Ismail during a news conference in Cairo. The Sudanese chief diplomat went on to accuse the Americans of again playing a part in the failure of peace negotiations: “When the first resolution was presented to the Council, the peace talks in Addis Ababa ran aground, now that another resolution has been presented the Abuja talks have come unstuck as well.” According to the minister, the strong international pressure and Washington’s anti-Khartoum stance have hardened the rebels’ position, making constructive negotiations impossible. Besides, the rebels are denouncing the attitude of Khartoum, which they say is engaged in negotiations on the one hand and an accessory to military action and attacks in various parts of the vast western region of Darfur on the other.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
More than three weeks of peace talks between the Sudanese government and two rebel groups from the country's Darfur region ended on Wednesday without agreement on any of the key points discussed, rebel and government delegates said. 
Both sides said they had accepted proposals by the African Union (AU) to suspend the talks and resume further negotiations in three or four weeks time. 
In a last ditch effort to bestow the Abuja talks with at least one instance of success, Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo pressured the Sudanese government and rebel delegates on Tuesday night to sign a humanitarian protocol negotiated in the first 10 days of talks. 
The accord would have made it easier for international aid agencies to carry out a massive relief effort in Darfur, where 1.4 million people have been displaced from their homes and hunger and disease stalk the land. 
While Khartoum delegation agreed immediately to sign the humanitarian protocol, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel factions asked to be given until Wednesday to make a decision. 
They eventually refused to sign it. 
"We as JEM have decided not to sign the humanitarian protocol. The talks have collapsed already," JEM spokesman Ahmed Tugod told IRIN. 
Tugod said key demands of the rebels, including the immediate disarming of the pro-government Janjawid militia and a probe of the Janjawid for alleged crimes against humanity, had not been accepted. Therefore, he said, "it didn't make sense to sign". 
The rebels also rejected proposals by AU mediators that their own forces be grouped at cantonment sites prior to the eventual disarmament of all fighting groups in Darfur. 
SLA delegates were involved in meetings all day and did not announce their own position. But they did not sign the humanitarian protocol either. 
Sudan's Minister of Agriculture, Majzoub al-Khalifa Ahmad, who headed the government delegation, accused the rebels of frustrating the mediation efforts of AU officials and Obasanjo, the current AU chairman. 
"It is their fault that the talks collapsed," Ahmad told IRIN. 
He alleged that interference from countries outside Africa, especially the United States, was a major reason for the failure of the talks. He particularly cited last week's declaration by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that genocide had been committed in Darfur as a factor that had hardened rebel intransigence. 
Despite the failure of the talks, he said the Sudan government would continue to pursue efforts to improve the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur. 
The United Nations estimates more than 1.2 million people have been displaced from their homes within Darfur and a further 200,000 have fled as refugees to neighbouring Chad. It reckons that 50,000 people have been killed in the 19 months of fighting. 
The UN World Health Organisation said earlier this week that 10,000 people were continuing to die each month in Darfur, mostly of hunger and disease. 
The United Nations has demanded that the Sudanese government rein in the Janjawid, an Arab militia force mounted on horses and camels, which it accuses of committing atrocities against unarmed civilians in Darfur. 
Khartoum has been widely accused of using the Janjawid to attack black African farmers in Darfur and drive them from their villages. 
"Disarming the Janjawid is a continuing process, but the rebels also need to be placed in safe areas," said Ahmad. "The rebels are also attacking civilians, just like the Janjawid  -  they're the same," he added. 
The UN Security Council gave the Sudanese government a 30-day ultimatum on July 30 to address the humanitarian situation in Darfur and disarm the Janjawid. But this expired with Secretary General Kofi Annan telling the Security Council that Khartoum had not done enough. 
Since then, the United States has been lobbying for a new Security Council resolution threatening sanctions against Sudan's 320,000 barrel per day oil exports, if it fails to rein in the Janjawid and improve security and humanitarian access in Darfur. 

Ten minutes. This was the duration of today’s talks between the Sudan government and rebels active in Darfur, the western Sudanese region theatre to armed clashes and violence affecting over 1-million civilians among displaced, refugees and victims. The sides, in the past two weeks engaged in negotiations organised by the AU (African Union) in Abuja, Nigeria, only remained at the table for a few minutes today before walking out and forcing the mediators to adjourn the meeting. This morning’s talks marked the resumption of negotiations between the sides, suspended since Friday over continuing divergences on security and disarmament issues. Mediation sources specified that last week’s suspension was decided to give the government and rebels time to soften their stands. But when the parts were asked this morning if there were any changes in respect to statements of the past days, but both responded with a firm “no”. A representative for Khartoum in the negotiations directly blamed the United States for this deadlock, underlining that the allegations of genocide made by US State Secretary Colin Powell, “lead our brothers (the rebels) to stand firm in their positions”, in the words of Sudan’s deputy foreign Minister Najeib Abdelwahab. The rebels instead expressed frustration over Khartoum’s refusal to negotiate a political accord for Darfur, only making demands for the disarmament and demobilisation of the anti-government forces. The mediators did not however exclude a resumption of talks today.

Between 6,000 and 10,000 people, including many children, may die over the next month in the displaced camps of North and West Darfur. This is the result of a survey by the WHO (World Health Organisation) and Health ministry of Khartoum, clearly indicating the extremely critical situation in the west Sudanese region torn by war and violence. In the 129 camps examined between the period of 15June and 15 August, the WHO in fact found a mortality rate 3 to 6 times higher that expected in similar circumstances. Diarrhoea was the leading cause of deaths, particularly amongst children, but fever, pneumonia, violence and injury also take a heavy toll. In underlining the need to “do more”, the WHO underlined the priority of improving hygiene in the camps and increasing access to clean water.

Between 6,000 to 10,000 of an estimated 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the troubled western Sudanese region of Darfur are dying every month, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Many of those who die are children aged five and under, it added. 
A survey done by the WHO and the Sudanese government showed that mortality rates had surpassed the mark that aid agencies use to define a humanitarian crisis - which is one death per 10,000 people per day. The survey found that the IDPs were dying at a rate of 1.5 per 10,000 people each day in North Darfur, and 2.9 per 10,000 in West Darfur, WHO said in a statement. 
"This survey confirms what the humanitarian community has suspected for some weeks," LEE Jong-wook, Director-General of WHO, said. "The results, along with the other information gathered by our staff, tell us that the people in Darfur need more assistance." 
"Thousands, including thousands of children under five, are dying every month from diseases which can be easily prevented and treated. Increased and better focused action is now vital," he added. 
According to WHO, the survey found that diarrhoea in particular was linked to the deaths of half to three-quarters of children under five. "Diarrhoea is often caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation," it noted. 
"The combination of crowded conditions in the settlements, shortage of clean water, inadequate latrines, insufficient soap, and the mire caused by rain-soaked mud mingling with excreta, have combined to make hygiene an impossible goal for people living in small, tarpaulin-covered huts," it added. 
Some households reported deaths due to violence - particularly among men aged 15 to 49 years. WHO said injuries and violence were linked to 15 percent of total deaths. "This data indicates the continuing need to improve health referral services in Darfur, so that people who are injured can be treated with adequate supplies and expertise in health clinics and hospitals," it noted. 
Describing the precarious health situation in the 129 camps housing IDPs in Darfur, WHO said its environmental engineers had found a "cocktail of environmental hazards that are set to cause more casualties and human suffering, particularly to women", such as unprotected water wells and limited use of water for personal hygiene. The situation had got worse with the onset of current rains which had caused flooding in the camps. 
 Population density had also dramatically increased in some locations. For example, the village of Mornei in West Darfur, which originally had a population of 5,000 people, now had more than 70,000 people as a result of the recent conflict. 
Apart from the 1.2 million IDPs in Darfur, another 200,000 have fled over the border into neighbouring Chad because of attacks by the Janjawid militia and because of fighting between government soldiers and rebels. According to the UN, Darfur is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. 
On Monday, NGOs said tens of thousands of new IDPs, fleeing renewed violence in South Darfur, had arrived at the Gereida camp, 100 km south of the town of Nyala. "The camp population increased from 10,000 to 40,000 within seven days," Gemma Swart, Oxfam Canada communications officer in Sudan, told IRIN. "There was increased violence in the rural areas around Gereida which led to people fleeing their homes and coming into the camp." 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

Tens of thousands of newly displaced people (IDPs) fleeing renewed violence in the Sudanese state of South Darfur have arrived at the Gereida camp, 100 km south of the town of Nyala, the international aid agency Oxfam Canada said. 
"The camp population increased from 10,000 to 40,000 within seven days," Gemma Swart, Oxfam Canada communications officer in Sudan, told IRIN on Monday. "There was increased violence in the rural areas around Gereida which led to people fleeing their homes and coming into the camp." 
"They left quickly - some by donkey, others walking. Two children drowned trying to cross a "wadi" [small river] at night," she said. "Those who arrived at the camp had nothing. I saw people trying to build shelters using sticks they had collected from their neighbours," Swart added. 
The relief agency warned that the camp had been overwhelmed by the fresh arrivals. Its population increased from 10,000 IDPs on 26 August to over 40,000 by 7 September. "People are still arriving every day," Oxfam said in a statement on Friday. 
"Literally, tens of thousands of people have poured into the camp in recent days and the flow still hasn't stopped. A quadrupling of numbers puts a massive strain on resources and infrastructure," Oxfam said. 
The United Nations in Sudan said the influx had resulted from security problems in the area. "We have received reports from NGOs that there is a fresh influx of IDPs into the camp," Jennifer Abrahamson, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan, told IRIN on Monday. "There are still security problems in that area." 
Oxfam said most of the new arrivals had arrived in the camp between 28 and 30 August. "Oxfam is one of only two agencies working in the camp and the new arrivals are currently without even the basics such as plastic sheeting for shelter," it said. 
According to other relief workers, the IDPs have been fleeing continuing clashes between Sudanese government forces and rebels who claim to be fighting because Darfur region has been marginalised. They are also fleeing attacks by Janjawid militia, who were initially armed by the government to fight the rebels but have been accused by human rights groups of turning their guns on civilians. 
On 8 September, OCHA had reported that thousands of newly displaced persons, reporting fresh hostilities, had arrived in a camp near El Fasher, administrative capital of North Darfur State. It said the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the Norwegian Refugee Council were following up reports that a large number of new IDPs had also arrived in Kalma camp from Yassin area, southeast of Nyala. 
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the United Nations Security Council to increase the international presence in Darfur and impose an extended arms embargo to stop continuing atrocities there. 
In a letter to members of the Security Council, HRW also called on the Security Council to establish an accountability mechanism and address serious concerns posed by "safe areas" proposed for the region. 
"The international community must demonstrate that it will not tolerate continuing atrocities committed by Sudanese armed forces and allied Janjawid militias," Peter Takirambudde, executive director of HRW's division, said. 
At least 1.2 million people in Darfur are internally displaced and another 200,000 have fled over the border into neighbouring Chad because of attacks by the Janjawid and because of fighting between government soldiers and rebels. According to the UN, Darfur is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

Women and men emerged from the belly of a hulking orange lorry and spilled into the open field, their backs weighed down by firewood and lumpy bundles. Another truck screeched to a halt in the large field and scores more scrambled to the ground. 
After squatting for months on the cramped Al-Mustaqbal school grounds in West Darfur's state capital, Al Geneina, they scanned the fresh territory to find a place to claim as their own. They were the latest arrivals among some 2,500 people trying to start a new life in a new camp. 
In recent months, tensions and tempers had flared at a handful of school grounds throughout Al Geneina town, where thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) had gathered, escaping attacks by Janjawid militias earlier this year. 
His rusty crutches resting in his lap, Sheik Al-Dain watched the others line up to receive crucial supplies that would help them survive in Krinding Two, a new IDP camp established on the outskirts of Geneina to accommodate relocated families. 
Along with the other camps circling the town, Krinding Two falls within the boundaries of a new government-designated 'safe area', a result of a 30-day United Nations Plan of Action detailing measures to be taken by the government to improve security and humanitarian conditions in Darfur, which expired in late August. 

IDPs traumatised 

Although more police have been deployed to beef up security in a handful of these havens in Darfur, IDPs like Al-Dain are still too traumatised to return home. 
"The men on camels and horses arrived and started spraying everyone with bullets at random," Al-Dain told IRIN, lifting his "djellibiah" to reveal "a crater" in his leg that was still raw seven months after being shot. "They burned our homes as we were still in our village. I cannot go home to farm my fields. It is still too unsafe for us," he said. 
It was on 8 February, the 40-year-old Al-Dain claims, that countless armed men entered his village, stole all the livestock in sight, burned their homes to the ground and killed 67 men. He said that 12 of those killed were from his own family. 
As he and his female relatives fled toward the closest main road, a day's walk from his village of Yoro, he was shot in the leg. The women carried him the remainder of the way until they were able to flag down a truck which drove them to the main hospital in Al Geneina town. Here, Al-Dain was nursed for three months. After leaving the hospital, he joined his family at the Al-Mustaqbal school grounds. 
The Al-Mustaqbal IDPs have now been registered to receive food distributions and other crucial non-food items. Women queued patiently to receive jerry cans, soap and blankets provided by the UN Joint Logistics Centre, while Islamic Relief Worldwide handed out indigenous building materials for the traditional conical "rakuba" huts, which are crafted to keep out the rain that crashes from the sky during the evenings. 
The new school session had began in early August and town parents and teachers had begun growing impatient. To the government, the solution was to send the IDPs back to their villages. But the IDPs refused, too afraid of what and who they would run into back on their farming land. Besides, they had nothing left to return to. 

Humanitarian intervention

It was at this point that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) proposed to relocate the school dwellers. The government accepted and allocated public land on which the IDPs were now resettling. 
OCHA's Protection Officer in West Darfur, Michael Heller Chu, along with a leading Sheik of the Massalit tribe, visited the Al-Mustaqbal grounds days before the move to inform the community of the upcoming events. 
A school headteacher joined the large group of men conversing on a mat laid out under the shade of a large tree on the school grounds. She expressed her frustration over the cumbersome makeshift dwellings, made of sticks, rags and other flimsy materials that now clogged the school grounds. 
Many of the 'residents' had in fact been living with host families in town. But their resources were now running out and many IDPs, mainly from the Massalit tribe, chose to take part in the move to Krinding Two. The Sheik explained that they had left their bare-boned huts standing as a statement: "We are IDPs." 
After an intense discussion, the headteacher disappeared into a classroom and the IDPs promised to dismantle the dwellings the next day. 
In mid-August, the first 1,200 or so IDPs living at Zahra and Thoura schools, moved to Krinding Two. The new settlement is attached to the sprawling Krinding camp, where some 23,000 IDPs have been living since fleeing their villages. 
Later this month, the International Organization for Migration, and Catholic Relief Services will help some 13,000 IDPs move from Abuzar school to Ashara Buyut, or "Ten Houses", on land allocated by the government close to Krinding camp. 
Although the future remains uncertain for the new residents of Krinding Two, for the time being they have gained some respite amid their tragic situation. 
"I don't like being displaced and living away from my village, but I have no choice," Al-Dain said. "I am a man of pride and want to tend to my crops. I look forward to the day when I can live with dignity again, but now it is still to dangerous to go home," he said. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

The African Union (AU) urged the United States to provide greater support in Sudan after US Secretary of State Colin Powell described the ongoing violence in the western region of Darfur as "genocide". Sam Ibok, director of the AU's Peace and Security Council, also urged the US to detail the evidence it had to make such claims. 
"The US has been helping but that support is not commensurate with the requirements," Ibok told IRIN on Monday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. "His [Colin Powell's] comments should be backed up. If it is not, the Sudanese government will not take anybody seriously." 
Ibok said AU observer teams had found graves containing around eight bodies each, but added that this did not necessarily constitute genocide. "Those kind of grave violations could at the end of  the day be termed as genocide. If we find evidence we shall not shy away from calling it genocide," he told IRIN. 
"But we cannot call it genocide at this point in time because we have not fully investigated it. For now we are preoccupied with saving lives," he added. 
The Sudanese government has rejected the description by the US of the Darfur conflict as genocide, and has accused Washington of exploiting a humanitarian crisis for political gain. 
Presenting testimony on Darfur to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday in Washington, Powell had said "genocide has been committed in Darfur...the government of Sudan and the Janjawid [militia] bear responsibility [and] genocide may still be occurring." 
Powell said his conclusion that genocide had been committed in Darfur was based on testimonies recorded by US investigators from 1,136 refugees and displaced people who had fled their villages in Darfur. "Those interviews indicated a consistent and widespread pattern of atrocities - killings, rapes, burning of villages - committed by Janjawid and government forces against non-Arab villagers," Powell said. 
"Three-fourths of those interviewed reported that Sudanese military forces were involved in the attacks [and] villages often experienced multiple attacks over a prolonged period before they were destroyed by burning, shelling or bombing, making it impossible for the villagers to return to their villages," he added. "This was a coordinated effort, not just random violence." 
Ibok told IRIN: "In some ways Colin Powell's comments are helpful because it galvanises the international community. It puts more pressure on the Sudanese government and as we have seen they react to pressure." 
Ibok noted however: "The only difficulty we have is that after designating it a genocide what next? What is the US going to do? Is it going to take the kind of action allowed under the UN convention? People keep talking about increasing the size of the AU presence but the money is just not there, people just keep talking about it and that is the frustration we have." The AU currently has 310 protection officers in Darfur and 185 observers. 
According to Ibok, the AU could intervene in Darfur if it were decided the killings that have taken place there were a case of genocide. "We have the right to intervene to take action without any authorisation from the Sudanese government so it has profound implications for us," he said. 
The AU was established in July 2001, to replace its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, which was founded as part of the African independence movement in 1963. The OAU was heavily criticised as a toothless talking shop with a policy of non-intervention. 
"One of our stated goals of having our deployment in Sudan is to be able to undertake those kind of investigations to be able to unravel what is happening," Ibok said. "But no matter what terminology you call what has happened in Darfur it is serious enough. We do not have to designate it as genocide to be able to know that there is indeed a catastrophe," he added. 
At least 1.2 million people in Darfur are internally displaced and another 200,000 have fled over the border into neighbouring Chad because of attacks by government-allied Janjawid militias and because of fighting between government soldiers and two rebel groups. 

“If all goes well, by the end of the year we will sign a final peace accord for Darfur and by 2005 all of Sudan will be at peace”. This was the statement made today from Seoul, South Korea, by Sudan’s Foreign Minister Moustapha Osman Ismail, once again rejecting the term “genocide” in describing the violence and crisis underway in Darfur, the remote western Sudanese region theatre since February 2003 to armed clashes. The Minister underlined that negotiations promoted by the African Union (AU) in the Nigerian city of Abuja, will resume “very soon” between the government and rebels. The talks, suspended last week following a complete stall over the main issues of security and disarmament of armed factions, should resume tomorrow morning, but for the moment there is no confirmation on the resumption of the works. The mediators merely referred that the intervention of the AU special envoy, Nigerian General Abdusalami Abubakar, is making good progress in resolving the differences between the sides. The European Union may take a stand today against the Sudanese government. The Foreign ministers of the 25 EU member nations are gathered in Greece to discuss the Sudanese situation. Less than ten days ago, the EU renewed its threat of sanctions against Sudan if the government fails to fulfil its commitment of disarming the Janjaweed Arab militants, that presided the Darfur region and are attributed main responsibility for the violence and consequential humanitarian crisis. “We observed progress on the humanitarian front, but we remain very concerned about security”, underlined last week Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, in quality of acting chairman of the EU. “We expect the government of Khartoum maintain all its promises, particularly that of disarming the Arab militants and reaching an accord with the rebels”, added Minister Bot. Since February 2003 two armed groups, formed as popular armed defence forces (JEM and SLA-M), rose against Khartoum for neglecting Darfur, because inhabited prevalently by blacks, and financing the Janjaweed, responsible for what the UN defines as the “worst humanitarian crisis of the planet”. In 17 months of fighting, the Darfur conflict has resulted in over 1-million internally displaced, nearly 200,000 refugees (all in neighbouring Chad) and thousands of victims, between 30,000 and 50,000 based on reliable international estimates, ‘only’ 5,000 according to Khartoum

A slight decrease in Hepatitis E cases has been reported in the troubled Sudanese states of South and West Darfur, although the overall death toll since the cases were first reported on 22 May had reached 55 across the region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. 
In total, 3,753 cases had been reported, it added. 
WHO said in an update on Wednesday that 73 percent of all cases had been reported in West Darfur. The situation North Darfur, however, indicated a slight increase in cases. 
According to WHO, existing resources had remained insufficient to cover the basic water and sanitation needs of the internally displaced populations (IDPs) in Darfur. Additional efforts were still needed to improve access to safe, clean water and better sanitation in the camps in order to stop the spread of, and reduce the number of new infections. 
Relief agencies in Darfur set up a working group to monitor and coordinate activities to stem the spread of Hepatitis E after the outbreak was reported. Apart from strengthening surveillance, mass chlorination of water, an aggressive hygiene campaign, construction of pit latrines and provision of safe drinking water, especially to pregnant women, had been undertaken. 
Hepatitis E is a waterborne disease usually transmitted through water that is contaminated with faeces. It kills five percent of those infected, and is especially dangerous to pregnant women. According to WHO, refugees and displaced people living in overcrowded camps are at the highest risk of infection. 
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned after the outbreak was first reported that unless immediate action was taken to avert the spread of the disease in Darfur, it could spread quickly among the hundreds of thousands of IDPs living in camps with poor sanitation. 
It said while Hepatitis E usually had a fatality rate of one to four percent, the virus was several times more lethal when it infected pregnant women. In one camp where the virus had been detected in West Darfur, UNFPA said, six of the eight people who died were pregnant women. 

The Sudanese government has rejected the description by the United States of the conflict in Sudan's western region of Darfur as genocide, and accused Washington of exploiting a humanitarian crisis for political gain. 
Presenting testimony on Darfur to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday in Washington, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, said "genocide has been committed in Darfur". Powell said: "the government of Sudan and the Janjawid (militia) bear responsibility [and] genocide may still be occurring." 
Powell said his conclusion that genocide had been committed in Darfur was based on testimonies recorded by US investigators from 1,136 refugees and displaced people who fled their villages in Darfur. 
"Those interviews indicated a consistent and widespread pattern of atrocities - killings, rapes, burning of villages - committed by Janjawid and government forces against non-Arab villagers," said Powell. 
"Three-fourths of those interviewed reported that Sudanese military forces were involved in the attacks [and} villagers often experienced multiple attacks over a prolonged period before they were destroyed by burning, shelling or bombing, making it impossible for the villagers to return to their villages," he added. "This was a coordinated effort, not just random violence." 
But Sudan's Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told the BBC on Friday that Washington was using the crisis in Darfur to deflect international attention from its problems in Iraq, where US forces are fighting dissidents opposed to American military presence there. 
"They should not use a humanitarian problem for political agenda," said Ismail.
A US State Department report, released on Thursday, said more than 405 villages in Darfur had been completely destroyed, and another 123 substantially damaged since February 2003. It said the non-Arab population there had continued to suffer from crimes against humanity. 
"A review of 1,136 interviews shows a consistent pattern of atrocities, suggesting close coordination between the government of Sudan forces and Arab militia elements, commonly known as the Janjawid," the report said. "Despite the current cease-fire and UN Security Council Resolution 1556, Janjawid violence against civilians has continued." 
"Refugees who fled the violence... spoke [of]: joint government of Sudan [GOS] military and Janjawid attacks; strafing by helicopter gun ships followed by ground attacks by the GOS military in vehicles and Janjawid on horseback; males being shot or knifed; and women being abducted or raped," it noted. 
"Survey results indicate that most Sudanese refugees state that Janjawid militias and GOS military forces collaborate in carrying out systematic attacks against non-Arab villages in Darfur," the state department added. 
The report titled "Documenting Atrocities in Darfur", can be found at: <a href="http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/36028.htm" target="_blank">www.state.gov</a> 
In a related development, the United States has said that it had received a "very positive" response at the UN Security Council after it circulated a draft resolution outlining measures to address the security and humanitarian crises in Darfur. 
US Ambassador John Danforth, speaking to reporters after the Council held closed consultations on the issue on Thursday, said he was hopeful that the Council could pass a resolution on the matter by next week. 
He said the 15 members recognised that Council action was necessary, and stressed the need for the African Union (AU), which has a team of monitors in place in Darfur, to play a vital role. 
"The importance of getting an outside presence into Darfur to monitor the situation is something that's impossible to overstate. That provides the most immediate assurance to the people of that region that they will have some protection," the UN News Service quoted Danforth as saying. 
At least 1.2 million people in Darfur are internally displaced and another 200,000 have fled over the border into neighbouring Chad because of attacks by the Janjawid militias and because of fighting between government soldiers and two rebel groups. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

Peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebels in its western Darfur region were adjourned on Friday as both sides pondered the implication of a US government declaration that genocide had been committed in Darfur. 
Announcing the adjournment, Assane Ba, the spokesman for the African Union (AU) mediation team, said the talks would resume in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Tuesday. 
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo would once more speak directly to both sides to urge them to be more conciliatory, he added. 
US Secretary of State Colin Powell told a Senate committee in Washington on Thursday that government investigations showed "that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjawid bear responsibility" for it. 
The United States subsequently proposed a new resolution to the UN Security Council that threatens to impose sanctions on Sudan's fast-growing oil industry. This currently pumps about 320,000 barrels per day. 
Sudanese government representatives at the three-week-old peace talks in Abuja vehemently condemned Powell's statement, saying Washington was sending "a wrong signal" that would discourage the two rebel movements in Darfur from entering into meaningful peace negotiations. 
"Powell is making a mistake," Najeeb Abdel Wahab, Sudan's deputy foreign minister, who is currently leading the government delegation in Abuja, told reporters. 
He predicted that the rebels would bet on UN sanctions becoming a reality and would therefore become more intransigent. 
"They will want to wait for action to be taken by the UN Security Council, and for that will not be forthcoming in negotiations," Wahab said. 
However, the rebels, who have insisted on an independent, international probe of killings in the Darfur region, welcomed Powell's statement. 
The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which launched a rebellion in Darfur in February 2003, said the US allegation of genocide confirmed what they had been saying for a long time. 
"We've had the same position all this while that the Sudanese government has been using the Janjawid militia to kill innocent people in Darfur," said SLA spokesman Abelhafiz Mustafa Musa. 
"It shows we've been fighting a legitimate cause," he added. 
"Genocide is a crime against humanity," said JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussain Adam. 
He called for Janjawid to be disarmed and for leaders of the Arab militia group and Sudan government officials to be charged with crimes against humanity. 
The negotiations between the government and the rebels were already languishing before the United States toughened its stance against Khartoum, forcing the African Union (AU) mediators to use all their inventiveness to prevent them from collapsing. 
A humanitarian accord agreed after the first 10 days of talks, remained unsigned after the rebels demanded the immediate disarming of the Janjawid and set other conditions before they would initial it. 
The talks then moved on to security issues, but the rebels rejected AU proposals for the forces to be confined to cantonment sites as part of a ceasefire monitoring process that would lead to the disarmament of both the rebels and the pro-government Janjawid. 
A new draft proposal tabled by the mediators on Wednesday dropped the requirement that rebel fighters be confined to cantonment sites in the hope of moving the process forward, but this draft was in turn rejected by Khartoum. 
Khartoum has been widely accused of using the Janjawid, an Arab militia mounted on horses and camels, to attack black African farmers in Darfur and drive them from their villages. 
The United Nations estimates that up to 50,000 people have been killed in the conflict and some 1.4 million people have been made homeless. These include nearly 200,000 who have fled as refugees to neighbouring Chad. 
The Security Council gave the Sudanese government a 30-day ultimatum on July 30 to address the humanitarian situation in Darfur and disarm the Janjawid. But this expired with Secretary General Kofi Annan telling the Security Council that Khartoum had not done enough. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 

The Sudanese government arrested 14 members of the Islamist opposition Popular Congress Party of former prime minister Hassan El Turabi on Wednesday as security was tightened around the capital, Khartoum.
The Interior Ministry, in a statement broadcast on Radio Omdurman, accused those arrested of attempting to sabotage the peace. There was extra police, military and security personnel on Khartoum streets, where they set up roadblocks. 
The government last year accused Turabi of sedition and claimed that his party was supporting the rebel Justice and Equality Movement in the western region of Darfur. The movement claims to be fighting to end the marginalisation of the area. Turabi, whose party was banned in March, has been under house arrest. 
Meanwhile, NGOs have urged France, Italy and Japan to improve their response to the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, where there are about 1.2 million internally displaced persons, and eastern Chad, which hosts about 200,000 refugees from Darfur. The three were among governments that had contributed least towards alleviating the suffering of people affected by the Darfur conflict, the NGOs said in a joint letter on Wednesday. 
The organisations - the International Save the Children Alliance, CARE International, Oxfam International, and Caritas Internationalis - called on the three governments to "respond urgently to the crisis in Sudan and Chad by sharply increasing aid to the region". 
"These are some of the richest countries in the world and they have been among the poorest donors," Barbara Stocking, director of Oxfam GB, said. "While humanitarian agencies struggle to cope with the overwhelming needs of the millions affected in this region, our difficulties are made worse by the lack of urgency of some rich nations in their response to the problem. 
"By the end of August the United Nations reported that it had only received just over half of the money it needs to help those who have fled the violence in Darfur," she said. 
According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, unmet requirements for the UN response to the Darfur crisis totalled $255 million as at 27 August. This was equivalent to 52 percent of the required amount. Some $73 million in outstanding pledges was yet to be received while no pledges had been received for another $182 million. 
In the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, the director of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Sudan operation, Jean-Marie Fakhouri, said that his organisation was not receiving sufficient money for Darfur. 
"The problem is that while there is a lot of political attention to the situation in Darfur, as there should be, the UN system has not really received adequate funding to actually respond to the emergency," Fakhouri told reporters. 
He said Sudanese refugees in Chad were unlikely to return to their villages in Darfur any time soon because of continuing insecurity. 
Fakhouri added that some refugees had gone back home only to find themselves fleeing again from the violence that had driven them from their villages in the first place. "Until such a time when security has been reestablished, we will not see any returns," he said. 

The peace negotiations underway since last week in Auja, Nigeria, between actors of the crisis in Darfur have been suspended until September 14. The remote west Sudanese region is theatre to over a year and a half of clashes and violence that has provoked what the United Nations defines as “the world’s worse humanitarian crisis”. Mediation sources refer that the decision to postpone the talks to next Tuesday was taken due to the over 72 hour stall in the talks over the unresolved issues of security and disarmament. In a move to lift the impasse, the mediators have sought an intervention by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo – acting chairman of the African Union (AU), which organised the negotiation – who is currently in Burkina Faso on a previous commitment. “We are waiting for Obasanjo to return and help us decide what action to take”, stated AU spokesman, Assane Ba. The positions in the talks of the two rebel movements combating in Darfur and the central government of Khartoum appear increasingly distant. The rebels are calling for the immediate disarmament of the Arab Janjaweed militias, considered the main responsible for the violence devastating Darfur, the creation of a no fly zone to impede Sudanese military air raids and the creation of an independent international commission to investigate human rights violations in the area. Khartoum rejects all these demands, posing as a condition the disarmament of the rebels and their redeployment to apposite areas

Member countries of the United Nations (UN) Security Council are continuing discussions concerning a possible new resolution on the conflict-ridden western region of Darfur, where a serious humanitarian crisis is playing out. At least four countries have expressed their opposition to the draft resolution presented by the United States (US), two of which have the right of veto. China, Russia, Pakistan and Algeria do not look favourably on the hypothesis of economic sanctions particularly against the oil industry; but while the last three States are prepared to abstain from the vote, Beijing’s permanent representative to the UN, Wang Guangya, has clearly stated his opposition to the resolution and suggested that his country might have recourse to its right of veto. China is Sudan’s primary commercial partner in the oil sector and, according to recent studies, 40 % of the African country’s crude is destined for the Asian giant. However, diplomatic and journalistic sources say that the new resolution is unlikely to be put to the vote before next week. Meanwhile, yesterday saw a heated exchange between top representatives of the US government (President George W Bush and his Secretary of State, Colin Powell) and the Sudanese administration over the use of the term ‘genocide’ to describe the violence being committed in Darfur. Speaking before the foreign affairs commission of the Senate, Powell said that “genocide” has been committed in the Darfur region. Shortly afterwards, President Bush added fuel to the fire by saying that he was “horrified” by the atrocities being committed in the semi-desert region on the border with Chad, and called for the “collaboration of the international community to prevent and eliminate acts of genocide”. The Sudanese foreign minister Moustapha Osman Ismail lost no time in replying; speaking from Asia, where he is on an official visit, he defined the US position as “isolated”. “They should not use a humanitarian problem for their own electoral agenda,” he said, reiterating earlier accusations that the Darfur crisis is being exploited to win support among the Afro-American community in view of the presidential elections in November. “Genocide is currently being carried out at the hands of the US forces in Iraq and in Afghanistan,” he added. Genocide or not, a humanitarian crisis of huge proportions is underway in Darfur; UN estimates – corroborated by numerous humanitarian organisations working in the area – put the number of internally displaced people at over a million, while a further 200.000 people have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad and several thousand people have been killed

Sudan said Friday it "categorically rejects" US accusations that it carried out genocide in the Darfur, scene of what the United Nations calls the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the world today. 
"To consider what is happening in Darfur as genocide does not represent the international consensus and sends a negative signal to the other side who are negotiating with the government," Khartoum's ambassador to Washington Khedr Haroun was quoted as saying in a letter published by the press here. 
He warned that US Secretary of State Colin Powell's declaration Thursday would only prolong the conflict that has killed tens of thousands, and hamper peace talks under way in Nigeria. 
US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday described atrocities in the western Sudanese region of Darfur as genocide and demanded a UN probe into the crisis, hastening moves toward sanctions on the government in Khartoum. 
Powell told a Senate hearing that evidence compiled by the United States "concluded that genocide has been committed in Darfur and the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility, and that genocide may still be occurring." 
The Sudanese government has been accused of arming and backing Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, which have rampaged through the western Darfur region for the past 19 months. 
An estimated 50,000 people have been killed and 1.4 million more uprooted in a campaign against Darfur's black African population, which began in February 2003 when Khartoum and the Janjaweed cracked down on a rebel uprising. 
US President George W. Bush said he was "appalled" by the violence and called for the United Nations to undertake a full investigation of the "genocide and other crimes in Darfur." 
He said his government was seeking a new Security Council resolution to authorize an expanded African Union security force to prevent further bloodshed and would seek to ban flights by Sudanese military aircraft in Darfur. 
But the 15-nation UN Security Council has emerged divided over the proposed US resolution which hangs the threat of sanctions over Sudan, with Russia, Pakistan and especially China voicing strong objections to the draft. 
The resolution, like a similar measure passed July 30, demands that Khartoum disarm and rein in the Janjaweed and take other steps to end the violence or face international sanctions. 
Khedr said he contacted the State Department to express "extreme dismay with the classification given by Powell to the events in Darfur which does not serve the efforts being exerted by the African Union, the (Sudanese) government and other parties for reaching peace in Darfur, but, rather, obstructs them." 
African Union-sponsored talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja between Sudan and two rebel groups aimed at resolving the Darfur crisis have made little headway in three weeks. 
Khedr said the US position deviated from the view of many in the international community such as European Union, the African Union, the Arab League, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement which he said "ruled out the existence of genocide because it is difficult to distinguish between the Arabs and others." 
"This is a message that heralds continuity of the crisis," he said. 
Khedr criticised the way in which the United States compiled the information on which it based its classification, saying it was "lacking credibility" and based on "weak methods."

John Garang, rebel SPLM leader in southern Sudan, said Thursday that US Secretary of State Colin Powell was correct to label killings in Darfur genocide. 
"When you have a government that uses tribes against other tribes as a counter-insurgency strategy, that concept of using people against people, that's the definition of genocide, or ethnic cleansing," said Garang, head of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). 
"So indeed it is genocide," he said after meeting with Powell in Washington. 
Powell testified before Congress Thursday that atrocities in Darfur were genocide and called on the United Nations to launch a thorough probe into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 
Earlier Thursday, Powell told a Senate hearing that evidence compiled by the United States "concluded that genocide has been committed in Darfur and the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility, and that genocide may still be occurring." 
The government in Khartoum has been accused of arming and backing Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, that have rampaged through Sudan's western Darfur region. 
An estimated 50,000 people have been killed and 1.4 million more uprooted in a campaign against black Africans that started out as an attempt to put down a rebel uprising launched in February 2003. 
Powell also said that Khartoum bore most of the blame for stalling peace talks with the SPLM held in Kenya. 
"Khartoum appears unwilling to resume talks at the most senior level, claiming it must focus on Darfur," Powell said. 
"That would be fine if its focus were the right focus, but it is not. 
"We believe that a comprehensive agreement would bolster efforts to resolve the crisis in Darfur by providing a legal basis for a political solution and by opening up the political process in Khartoum," he said. 
The war in southern Sudan erupted in 1983 when the mostly Christian and animist south took up arms to end domination and marginalization by the wealthier, mainly Muslim north. 
Together with recurrent famine and disease, the war has killed at least 1.5 million people and displaced four million others.
"The movement is ready to go immediately to Naivasha (Kenya) and to complete the remaining issues, which are technical in nature," Garang said. 
"The announcement of the secretary of state on genocide will indeed have an impact on the negotiation, I believe positive," Garang said. 
"So that you would have a comprehensive peace agreement in place and we implement that agreement, and that would help in resolving the situation in Darfur," he said. 
Powell said the United States will seek a UN investigation into violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law that have occurred in Darfur. 
Sudan is a contracting party to an international convention against genocide and is obliged under the convention to prevent and punish acts of genocide.

Sudanese Finance Minister Ahmed Hassan al-Zubeir responded defiantly Thursday to a declaration by Washington that the atrocities in Sudan's troubled Darfur region are genocide. 
"This is just another sort of pressure brought against the government of Sudan by the United States and Western governments, the kind of general political pressure that shows the US is not a friend of Sudan," al-Zubeir told AFP on leaving an African Union summit in Burkina Faso. 
"We will prove that it is true that the conflict in Sudan is an internal tribal problem and it will be for the national government to solve this problem," he said. 
US Secretary of State Colin Powell told a Senate hearing Thursday that the United States had "concluded that genocide has been committed in Darfur and the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility, and that genocide may still be occurring."

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said here Thursday that the alliance could work together with the EU to help resolve the crisis in Sudan's war-torn province of Darfur. 
"The European Union has taken action in response to the mounting humanitarian crisis in Darfur. With regard to that troubled African region, as well, our two organisations might usefully complement each other," he said in a speech at a Finnish foreign policy think-tank. 
"I believe that we have to think creatively how we can work together. For example, by giving logistic or other assistance to the African Union, if it would ask," he said. 
The African Union has several hundred troops in Darfur monitoring a shaky ceasefire. 
Up to 50,000 people have died in the conflict in Darfur between rebel groups and government forces, with more than a million displaced from their homes, according to UN figures. 
In his speech, which dealt with the US-led alliance's future role, de Hoop Scheffer also highlighted the Middle East and Afghanistan as areas where the EU and NATO could do more together. 
"We should broaden NATO-EU cooperation gradually and pragmatically. Our common aim should be to cooperate in all areas where our interests coincide, and where both institutions can complement each other," de Hoop Scheffer said. 
"There are many more areas where closer NATO-EU cooperation would be appropriate. Combating terrorism, coping with the spread of weapons of mass destruction, or improving military capabilities," he noted. 
The secretary general was on a one-day visit to Helsinki, where he met with Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. 
He was due to travel on to neighbouring Sweden on Friday.

European Union officials said Thursday they remain "extremely concerned" about atrocities carried out by militia groups in Sudan 's Darfur region. 
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that genocide was occurring in Darfur. His conclusion was based on interviews conducted with refugees as well as other evidence. 
The European Union last month stated that it was up to the U.N. to say whether the abuse suffered by Darfur's black African population amounted to genocide, saying it did not have adequate evidence. 
"We are extremely concerned," E.U. spokesman Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe said Thursday. 
"We have not discussed specifically the use of the word genocide. For us, we have noted that there is an extremely serious situation that still requires a huge humanitarian aid effort." 
Ellermann-Kingombe said the 25-nation body has repeatedly "expressed its deep concern with the situation in Darfur and we have requested on several occasions for the urgent disarmament of the Janjaweed" rebels. 
"We concluded that we would still contemplate the possibility of sanctions," he said. 
The U.N. says 1.2 million people have been made homeless and tens of thousands killed in the Darfur conflict, with government forces accused of backing Arab militia in violent campaigns against non-Arab villagers.

Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on the situation in Darfur. Let me start by reviewing a little history. 
The violence in Darfur has complex roots in traditional conflicts between Arab nomadic herders and African farmers. The violence intensified during 2003 when two groups -- the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement -- declared open rebellion against the Government of Sudan because they feared being on the outside of the power and wealth-sharing agreements in the north-south negotiations. Khartoum reacted aggressively, intensifying support for Arab militias, the so-called jinjaweid. The Government of Sudan supported the jinjaweid, directly and indirectly, as they carried out a scorched-earth policy towards the rebels and the African civilian population. 
Mr. Chairman, the United States exerted strong leadership to focus international attention on this unfolding tragedy. We first took the issue of Sudan to the United Nations (UN) Security Council last fall. President Bush was the first head of state to condemn publicly the Government of Sudan and to urge the international community to intensify efforts to end the violence. In April of this year, the United States brokered a ceasefire between the Government of Sudan and the rebels, and then took the lead to get the African Union (AU) to monitor that ceasefire. 
As some of you are aware, I traveled to the Sudan in midsummer and made a point of visiting Darfur. It was about the same time that Congressman Wolf and Senator Brownback were there, as well as Secretary General Kofi Annan. In fact, the Secretary General and I were able to meet and exchange notes. We made sure that our message to the Sudanese government was consistent. 
Senator Brownback can back me up when I say that all of us saw the suffering that the people of Darfur are having to endure. And Senator Corzine was just in Darfur and can vouch for the fact that atrocities are still occurring. All of us met with people who had been driven from their homes -- indeed many having seen their homes and all their worldly possessions destroyed or confiscated before their eyes -- by the terrible violence that is occurring in Darfur. 
During my visit, humanitarian workers from my own Agency -- USAID -- and from other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), told me how they are struggling to bring food, shelter, and medicines to those so desperately in need -- a population of well over one million. 
In my midsummer meetings with the Government of Sudan, we presented them with the stark facts of what we knew about what is happening in Darfur from the destruction of villages, to the raping and the killing, to the obstacles that impeded relief efforts. Secretary General Annan and I obtained from the Government of Sudan what they said would be firm commitments to take steps, and to take steps immediately, that would remove these obstacles, help bring the violence to an end, and do it in a way that we could monitor their performance. 
There have been some positive developments since my visit, and since the visit of Senator Brownback, Congressman Wolf, and the Secretary General. 
The Sudanese have met some of our benchmarks such as engaging in political talks with the rebels and supporting the deployment of observers and troops from the AU to monitor the ceasefire between Khartoum and the rebels. Some improvements in humanitarian access have also occurred though the government continues to throw obstacles in the way of the fullest provision of assistance. 
The AU Ceasefire Commission has also been set up and is working to monitor more effectively what is actually happening in Darfur. The general who is in charge of that mission, a Nigerian general by the name of Okonkwo, is somebody that we know well. He is the same Nigerian general who went into Liberia last year and helped stabilize the situation there. 
The AU's mission will help to restore sufficient security so that these dislocated, starving, hounded people can at least avail themselves of the humanitarian assistance that is available. But what is really needed is enough security so that they can go home. And what is really needed is for the jinjaweid militias to cease and desist their murderous raids against these people -- and for the Government in Khartoum to stop being complicit in such raids. Khartoum has made no meaningful progress in substantially improving the overall security environment by disarming the jinjaweid militias or arresting its leaders. 
So we are continuing to press that Government and we continue to monitor them. We continue to make sure that we are not just left with promises instead of actual action and performance on the ground. Because it is absolutely clear that as we approach the end of the rainy season, the situation on the ground must change, and it must change quickly. There are too many tens upon tens of thousands of human beings who are at risk. Some of them have already been consigned to death because of the circumstances they are living in now. They will not make it through the end of the year. Poor security, inadequate capacity, and heavy rains (which will not diminish until late September) continue to hamper the relief effort. 
The UN estimates there are 1,227,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Darfur. In July, almost 950,000 IDPs received some form of food assistance. About 200,000 Sudanese refugees are being assisted by UNHCR and partner organizations in Chad. The World Food Program (WFP) expects two million IDPs will need food aid by October. 
U.S. Government provision of aid to the Darfur crisis in Sudan and Chad totaled $211.3 million as of September 2, 2004. This includes $112.9 million in food assistance, $50.2 million in non-food assistance, and $36.4 million for refugees in Chad, $5 million for refugee programs in Darfur, and $6.8 million for the African Union mission. 
The U.S. also strongly supports the work of the AU monitoring mission in Darfur. In fact, we initiated the Mission through base camp set-up and logistics support by a private contractor. The Mission is staffed with 125 AU monitors now deployed in the field and has completed approximately 20 investigations of cease-fire violations. The AU monitoring staff is supported by a protection force of 305, made up of a Rwandan contingent of 155 (they arrived on August 15) and a Nigerian contingent of 150 (they arrived on August 30). Recognizing the security problems in Darfur, the UN and the U.S. have begun calling for an expanded AU mission in Darfur through the provision of additional observers and protection forces. Khartoum appears to have signaled a willingness to consider an expanded mission. 
I am pleased to announce, Mr. Chairman, that the State Department has identified $20.5 million in FY04 funds for initial support of this expanded mission. We look forward to consulting with the Congress on meeting additional needs. 
As you know, as we watched through the month of July, we felt more pressure was required. So we went to the UN and asked for a resolution. We got it on July 30. 
Resolution 1556 demands that the Government of Sudan take action to disarm the jinjaweid militia and bring jinjaweid leaders to justice. It warns Khartoum that the Security Council will take further actions and measures - UN-speak for sanctions - if Sudan fails to comply. It urges the warring parties to conclude a political agreement without delay and it commits all states to target sanctions against the jinjaweid militias and those who aid and abet them as well as others who may share responsibility for this tragic situation. Too many lives have already been lost. We cannot lose any more time. We in the international community must intensify our efforts to help those imperiled by violence, starvation and disease in Darfur. 
But the Government of Sudan bears the greatest responsibility to face up to this catastrophe, rein in those who are committing these atrocities, and save the lives of its own citizens. At the same time, however, the rebels have not fully respected the ceasefire. We are disturbed at reports of rebel kidnappings of relief workers. We have emphasized to the rebels that they must allow unrestricted access of humanitarian relief workers and supplies and cooperate fully, including with the AU monitoring mission. 
We are pleased that the Government of Sudan and the rebels are currently engaged in talks in Abuja, hosted by the AU. These talks are aimed at bringing about a political settlement in Darfur. The two sides have agreed on a protocol to facilitate delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance to rebel-held areas, and are now engaged in discussions of a protocol on security issues. We are urging both sides to intensify negotiations in order to reach a political settlement. 
At midsummer, I told President Bashir, Vice President Taha, Foreign Minister Ismail, the Minister of Interior and others, that the United States wants to see a united, prosperous, democratic Sudan. I told them that to that end we are fully prepared to work with them. I reminded them that we had reached an historic agreement on June 5 -- an agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). That agreement covered all the outstanding issues in the north-south process. 
Since then, the parties have been engaged in final negotiations on remaining details. However, the parties are stuck on the specifics of a formal ceasefire agreement and have not yet begun the final round of implementation modalities. Special Envoy Sumbeiywo met recently with the parties, but could not resolve the remaining ceasefire-related issues. Khartoum appears unwilling to resume talks at the most senior level, claiming it must focus on Darfur. That would be fine if its focus were the right focus. But it is not. The SPLM is more forward leaning, but still focused on negotiating details. We believe that a comprehensive agreement would bolster efforts to resolve the crisis in Darfur by providing a legal basis for a political solution (decentralization) and by opening up the political process in Khartoum. 
President Bashir has repeatedly pledged to work for peace, and he pledged that again when we met in midsummer. But President Bush, this Congress, Secretary General Annan and the international community want more than promises. We want to see dramatic improvements on the ground right now. Indeed, we wanted to see them yesterday. 
In the meantime, we are doing all that we can. We are working with the international community to make sure that all of those nations who have made pledges of financial assistance meet those pledges. In fact, the estimated needs have grown and the donor community needs to dig deeper. America has been in the forefront of providing assistance to the suffering people of Darfur and will remain in the forefront. But it is time for the entire international community to increase their assistance. The U.S. has pledged $299 million in humanitarian aid through FY05, and $11.8 million to the AU mission, and we are well on the way to exceeding these pledges. 
SYG Annan's August 30 report called for an expanded AU mission in Darfur to monitor commitments of the parties more effectively, thereby enhancing security and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The report also highlighted Khartoum's failure to rein in and disarm the jinjaweid militia, and noted that the Sudanese military continued to take part in attacks on civilians, including aerial bombardment and helicopter strikes. 
We have begun consultation in New York on a new resolution that calls for Khartoum to cooperate fully with an expanded AU force and for cessation of Sudanese military flights over the Darfur region. It also provides for international overflights to monitor the situation in Darfur and requires the Security Council to review the record of Khartoum's compliance to determine if sanctions, including on the Sudanese petroleum sector, should be imposed. The resolution also urges the Government of Sudan and the SPLM to conclude negotiations on a comprehensive peace accord. 
And finally there is the matter of whether or not what is happening in Darfur is genocide. 
Since the U.S. became aware of atrocities occurring in Sudan, we have been reviewing the Genocide Convention and the obligations it places on the Government of Sudan. 
In July, we launched a limited investigation by sending a team to refugee camps in Chad. They worked closely with the American Bar Association and the Coalition for International Justice and were able to interview 1,136 of the 2.2 million people the UN estimates have been affected by this horrible violence. Those interviews indicated: 
  A consistent and widespread pattern of atrocities (killings, rapes, burning of villages) committed by jinjaweid and government forces against non-Arab villagers; 
  Three-fourths (74%) of those interviewed reported that the Sudanese military forces were involved in the attacks; 
  Villages often experienced multiple attacks over a prolonged period before they were destroyed by burning, shelling or bombing, making it impossible for villagers to return. 
When we reviewed the evidence compiled by our team, along with other information available to the State Department, we concluded that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the Government of Sudan and the jinjaweid bear responsibility -- and genocide may still be occurring. Mr. Chairman, we are making copies of the evidence our team compiled available to this committee today. 
We believe in order to confirm the true nature, scope and totality of the crimes our evidence reveals, a full-blown and unfettered investigation needs to occur. Sudan is a contracting party to the Genocide Convention and is obliged under the Convention to prevent and to punish acts of genocide. To us, at this time, it appears that Sudan has failed to do so. 
Article VIII of the Genocide Convention provides that Contracting Parties "may call upon the competent organs of the United Nations to take such action under the Charter of the United Nations as they consider appropriate for the prevention and suppression of acts of genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article III." 
Today, the U.S. is calling on the UN to initiate a full investigation. To this end, the U.S. will propose that the next UN Security Council Resolution on Sudan request a UN investigation into all violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law that have occurred in Darfur, with a view to ensuring accountability. 
Mr. Chairman, as I said the evidence leads us to the conclusion that genocide has occurred and may still be occurring in Darfur. We believe the evidence corroborates the specific intent of the perpetrators to destroy "a group in whole or in part". This intent may be inferred from their deliberate conduct. We believe other elements of the convention have been met as well. 
Under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to which both the United States and Sudan are parties, genocide occurs when the following three criteria are met: 
  specified acts are committed: 
a) killing; 
b) causing serious bodily or mental harm; 
c) deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction of a group in whole or in part; 
d) imposing measures to prevent births; or 
e) forcibly transferring children to another group; 
  these acts are committed against members of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group; and 
  they are committed "with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, [the group] as such". 
The totality of the evidence from the interviews we conducted in July and August, and from the other sources available to us, shows that: 
  The jinjaweid and Sudanese military forces have committed large-scale acts of violence, including murders, rape and physical assaults on non-Arab individuals; * * The jinjaweid and Sudanese military forces destroyed villages, foodstuffs, and other means of survival; 
  The Sudan Government and its military forces obstructed food, water, medicine, and other humanitarian aid from reaching affected populations, thereby leading to further deaths and suffering; and 
  Despite having been put on notice multiple times, Khartoum has failed to stop the violence. 
Mr. Chairman, some seem to have been waiting for this determination of genocide to take action. In fact, however, no new action is dictated by this determination. We have been doing everything we can to get the Sudanese government to act responsibly. So let us not be preoccupied with this designation of genocide. These people are in desperate need and we must help them. Call it a civil war. Call it ethnic cleansing. Call it genocide. Call it "none of the above." The reality is the same: there are people in Darfur who desperately need our help. 
I expect that the government in Khartoum will reject our conclusion of genocide anyway. Moreover, at this point genocide is our judgment and not the judgment of the International Community. Before the Government of Sudan is taken to the bar of international justice, let me point out that there is a simple way for Khartoum to avoid such wholesale condemnation. That way is to take action. 
The government in Khartoum should end the attacks, ensure its people -- all of its people -- are secure, hold to account those who are responsible for past atrocities, and ensure that current negotiations are successfully concluded. That is the only way to peace and prosperity for this war-ravaged land. 
Specifically, Mr. Chairman, the most practical contribution we can make to the security of Darfur in the short-term is to increase the number of African Union monitors. That will require the cooperation of the Government of Sudan. 
In the intermediate and long term, the security of Darfur can be best advanced by a political settlement at Abuja and by the successful conclusion of the peace negotiations between the SPLM and the Government of Sudan.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is worried about the humanitarian situation in North Darfur, after thousands of newly displaced persons, reporting fresh hostilities, arrived in a camp near El Fasher, an OCHA spokesperson said on Wednesday. 
"We are very concerned that there are new IDP [internally displaced persons] arrivals in Zam Zam camp," Jennifer Abrahamson of OCHA Sudan, told IRIN on Wednesday. "There have been unconfirmed reports of increased insecurity around Thabit, south of the camp," she added. 
Zam Zam camp is near El-Fasher, administrative capital of North Darfur State. 
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a situation report on Wednesday that continuing clashes, in particular in rural areas of northern and southern Darfur, had given rise to further casualties and displacement of civilians. 
It said the number of IDPs in Gereida, south of Nyala, was estimated to have increased from 12,000 to 32,000 since mid-August, while a recent influx of people in towns east of Nyala had reportedly led to serious food shortages. Around 1,800 new arrivals had been reported at Zam Zam camp, the ICRC added. 
On Wednesday, the UN said in a humanitarian update that its refugee agency, UNHCR, and the Norwegian Refugee Council were following reports that a large number of new IDPs had also arrived in Kalma camp from Yassin area, southeast of Nyala. 
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the continuing insecurity had reduced the number of people it could reach in Darfur. It said banditry had intensified in August. 
In New York, the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said the Security Council could take action on the Darfur crisis within the next weeks, 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. 
Talking to reporters, Annan said while improvement on granting humanitarian access to Darfur had occurred, security problems persisted, UN News reported on Wednesday. He added that Khartoum "must redouble its efforts to protect the population" of an estimated 1.2 million IDPs. 
"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," UN News quoted Annan as saying. 
He called for an expansion of the force of African Union (AU) monitors 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," he said. 
Annan held meetings with Sadiq El Mahdi, a former Sudanese prime minister, and John Garang, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), about the situation in Darfur and peace talks in the town of Naivasha, Kenya, aimed at ending civil war in southern Sudan. 
Talks between the Sudanese government and SPLM/A in Naivasha led to the signing on 26 May of three protocols on major stumbling blocks to a peace agreement, including power-sharing and areas contested by Khartoum and the rebels. 
The talks were adjourned in July, but no date has been set for their resumption. The two sides still need to agree on a comprehensive peace agreement, a permanent ceasefire and the modalities for implementing the former, including regional and international guarantees.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo intervened personally on Monday to prevent the collapse of peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Sudan's Darfur province as Khartoum and the two rebel movements stuck doggedly to conflicting positions. 
Brigadier General Festus Okonkwo, the Nigerian commander of the African Union's ceasefire monitoring force in Darfur, told reporters that Obasanjo was called in after "a hardening of positions" by the two sides had resulted in "deadlock." 
The African Union (AU), which is mediating the two-week-old Abuja peace talks, presented both sides with a draft protocol on security at the weekend. 
However, officials said the Sudanese government delegation reacted by demanding the immediate disarmament of the two rebel groups in Darfur, the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA)and the Justice and Equality Movement(JEM). 
The rebels, in turn, rejected Khartoum's demands and insisted that the pro-government Janjawid militia must first be disbanded and probed for crimes against humanity. 
Ahmed Tugod, the spokesman for the rebel factions, said the rival parties met early on Monday with Obasanjo, who is the current chairman of the AU. The Nigerian head of state urged both sides to make more concessions at the talks which resumed later in the afternoon, he added. 
But Tugod said the rebels would remain uncompromising in their demands that government planes end their bombing of Darfur, where a ceasefire has supposedly been in place since April, and that the Janjawid be disbanded and investigated. 
"The Sudan government is refusing to discuss Janjawid and discontinue aerial bombardment," Tugod told IRIN. "For us these issues will decide the fate of the talks." 
The rebels also rejected proposals by the AU mediators that their forces be confined to designated cantonment sites as part of the ceasefire monitoring process. They said that would make them vulnerable to attacks by government forces. 
Najib Abdulwahab, the spokesman of the Sudan government delegation at the peace talks, confirmed that the cantonment of rebel forces was a sticking point. 
"The issue is very difficult for our brothers in the two movements," Abdulwahab said. "But general and complete disarmament will not be achieved without that measure," he added. 
The Abuja peace talks, which began on 23 August, have so far made little progress in resolving the 18-month-old conflict in Darfur. According to the United Nations, an estimated 50,000 people have died in the conflict and about 1.4 million frightened villagers have been forced to flee their homes. Nearly 200,000 have fled as refugees to neighbouring Chad. 
A draft protocol on humanitarian issues prepared by mediators last Thursday remained unsigned after the rebel factions demanded the immediate disbandment of the Janjawid militia as a pre-condition. 
Signature of the protocol on humanitarian assistance would have helped international agencies to ramp up their efforts to deal with what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian disaster. 
Fighting erupted in Darfur in February 2003, when two rebels factions of mainly black African extraction, took up arms against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government complaining about decades of neglect and marginalisation. 
The government of President Omar el Bashir has been widely accused of using the Janjawid, a militia force of Arab nomads mounted on horses and camels, to attack black African farmers and drive them from their villages. 
The UN Security Council gave Khartoum an ultimatum on July 30 to address the humanitarian situation in Darfur and disarm the Janjawid within 30 days, threatening unspecified measures if it failed to comply. 
But U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a report to the Security Council on 1 September the Sudan government had not done enough to provide security for Darfur people or check the activities of the Janjawid. 
Jan Pronk, the UN special envoy to Sudan, proposed expanding the AU military force in Darfur from 300 to more than 3,000 men and giving it a mandate to protect civilians as well as to monitor ceasefire violations.

A number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have sought refuge in a camp near El Fasher, administrative capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan, following clashes between government troops and rebels, the United Nations reported. 
The IDPs had been living in villages in various parts of the state, according to the UN, which said in a humanitarian update on Sunday that the new arrivals in Zamzam Camp were reported to be in serious need of shelter and food. 
According to the report, the clashes between the Sudanese armed forces and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) were reported in various locations including the Tawila - Kebkabiya road in North Darfur and Sayah, north of El Fasher, as well as in South Darfur. 
The UN added that attacks and robberies by Arab militias also continued to be reported, including an attack on 3 September against Ishma, an SLA-controlled village southeast of Kalma camp in South Darfur. 
Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Tuesday that it delivered food for nearly one million people in Darfur in August, but that that amount fell short of its target of 1.2 million people. 
In another development, the Sudan Council of Churches has expressed concern that the pace of peace talks in the Kenyan town of Naivasha aimed at ending war in southern Sudan had slowed down. 
The church leaders said in a statement released after a meeting in Khartoum that the two sides had not met since their last session was adjourned in July. They added: "apparently the parties are no longer experiencing the sustained pressure from the international community [...] due to the new and equally devastating conflict that emerged in Western Sudan, the Darfur region early last year". 
On 26 May, Khartoum and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army signed three protocols on major stumbling blocks to a peace agreement, including power-sharing and areas contested by Khartoum and the rebels. They adjourned the negotiations in July, but no date has been set for a resumption of the talks. 
The two sides still need to agree on a comprehensive peace agreement, a permanent ceasefire and the modalities for implementing the former, including regional and international guarantees.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
Reports of rape are still rife in Darfur, western Sudan, perpetrators of abuses act with impunity, and civilians are being pressured to return to insecure areas, a UN team said on Monday. 
"There is a major protection crisis in Darfur in general. All the agencies confirm that, and so do the IDPs [internally displaced persons] we saw," Dennis McNamara, special adviser on displacement to the UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, told IRIN. 
"There is still undue pressure by the authorities for the displaced to return to unsafe areas, while general insecurity continues around the settlements," added McNamara, who is also the director of the Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 
McNamara, who led a three-member mission to Darfur last week, said that sexual violence and rape were still a major concern there.
He said the overall response to sexual crimes had been ineffective and perpetrators acted with impunity. "There has been no serious attempt to prosecute," said McNamara, whose mission visited IDP camps in four locations in South Darfur - Kass, Kalma, Nyala and Otash - on 25 and 26 August. 
Services for rape victims inadequate 
McNamara said that services for treating victims of rape were inadequate and he urged aid donors to fund protection projects for IDPs. 
He explained that Sudanese law required rape victims to report the crime before seeking treatment in government health facilities, but most of those who had been violated had no confidence in the local police or were too ashamed to tell the predominantly male force about their ordeal. 
"This crisis in protection needs urgent attention by [UN] agencies, NGOs, Sudanese authorities and donor governments," said McNamara. Ceasefire observers that the African Union has deployed in Darfur "also need to exercise a robust monitoring and verification role," he added. 
McNamara said most of the rapes occurred when women and girls ventured out of the camps to collect firewood. Men told his mission, which included human rights adviser Bjorn Pettersson and IDP adviser Beatrice Bernhard, that they could not help the women fetch firewood because they risked being shot if they went out into the bushes. 
McNamara said that local officials continued to refute the existence of sexual violence and rape despite the many documented cases. 
The rapists were "men in military uniform", IDPs said 
Displaced civilians told the mission that "men in military uniform" were responsible for the sexual violence, according to Pettersson. 
"There is no indication that the armed militia have been brought under control," said McNamara, adding that IDPS were still terrified of the militias, known as Janjawid. 
The Janjawid, allegedly allied to government troops, have been blamed for many of the abuses against civilians in Darfur. 
McNamara said that there was no "realistic early return" to original villages envisaged for the "traumatised" IDPs because attacks were still being reported outside the camps and more people were still seeking refuge in the IDP settlements. 
The conflict in Darfur erupted early last year when rebels took up arms against the government in a bid to end what they said was marginalisation and discrimination by the state. 
IDPs returning in droves to the south 
McNamara's mission reported that Darfur had overshadowed the problem of people displaced by civil war in southern Sudan who had began to return to their home areas from the north in anticipation of a final peace deal between Khartoum and the southern-based rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army. 
An estimated 100,000 people had returned to areas in the south that lacked basic services and where their security could not be guaranteed, McNamara said. He added that UN agencies working in southern Sudan estimated that another 100,000 IDPs could go back to the south before the end of the year. 
"Agencies need to step up their presence in the south in anticipation of the large number of people returning to the south," McNamara said, "and donors need to support this presence." 

The United Nations Security Council is due to hear the report of the Secretary General Kofi Annan on the situation in Darfur, the western region torn by violence and fighting that has provoked the “worst humanitarian crisis of the planet”, in the definition of the UN. Today in fact marks the expiration of the 30 day deadline contained in the resolution approved by the Council at the end of July, for the Sudanese government to demonstrate its commitment to resolving the crisis in Darfur and avoid eventual economic sanctions by the international community. The UN expects concrete responses from Khartoum particularly regarding its efforts to halt and disarm the Arab Janjaweed militias, considered the main perpetrators of the violence in Darfur, but also the deployment of security forces in the region to protect the civilians, collaboration with humanitarian agencies and will to proceed in peace negotiations with the rebels. Prior to appearing before the 15 UN Council members, Annan spoke with his special envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk, who before returning to New York visited Darfur. Based on indiscretions, on one side Pronk referred a renewed effort by Khartoum in meeting international demands, while on the other confirmed the ongoing violence in some areas of the vast western region. The news of the death of 75 civilians in six different attacks against villages last week, on Saturday brought the delegations of the two rebel movements active in Darfur to suspend their participation in the negotiations underway in Nigeria. Today the talks appear to have resumed regularly. This morning the 155 soldiers, due to join their 150 Rwandan colleagues in Darfur to complete the small African Union contingent to protect observers of the cease-fire, and that could become the vanguard of a future ‘all African’ peacekeeping mission, arrived at the airport of the Nigerian capital, Abuja

Over 1.700 people have been infected and 35 people have died from hepatitis E in the epidemic that is spreading through refugee camps in war-torn Darfur western Sudan), the WHO (World Health Organisation) said yesterday. The same source said that the number of affected people is rising rapidly. “It remains to establish whether this strong increase is due to the worsening of the epidemic or to the careful monitoring of the disease carried out by the Sudanese health ministry” WHO spokesman Fadela Chaib said. The disease, which affects the state of West Darfur in particular, has also begun to spread in refugee camps located across the border in Chad, with 672 reported cases and 21 deaths as at 13 August. Hepatitis E is a viral disease that is transmitted through contaminated water or unclean food. It has a low death rate (4 %) but it can be particularly dangerous for children and pregnant women

Joint mission reviews implementation of Darfur pledges 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
A team of United Nations and Sudanese government officials arrived in the western Sudanese Darfur region on Thursday to assess the implementation of Khartoum's promises to restore calm in the area, officials said. 
The three-day Joint Implementation Mechanism (JIM) mission is visiting Darfur to review the implementation of a plan of action in which Khartoum undertook to improve security and disarm militias accused of committing atrocities against civilians.
The mission, which includes the UN special envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, and Sudan's Foreign Minister, Mustafa Osman Ismail, will present its findings to the UN Security Council, which will decide next week whether Sudan is making good on commitments to restore security and disarm the militias responsible for killings and massive displacement. 
The Council had given Sudan until 30 August to show that it was making tangible progress in addressing the Darfur crisis or face punitive measures, including possible sanctions. In response, Sudan formulated the action plan. 
On Thursday, Pronk and Ismail met with the Wali [governor] of West Darfur State in the town of El-Geneina. He assured them that all was calm after the deployment of more police and that there were no militias harassing civilians in the area, a source close to the mission told IRIN. 
More than 1.2 million people have been displaced by conflict in Darfur, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Another estimated 200,000 Darfurians have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad. 
Most fled their home villages because of attacks by militias known as the Janjawid, and clashes between government forces and two rebel groups that took up arms early last year to fight what they said was the marginalisation of the region by the government. 
Khartoum has been accused of aiding and abetting the Janjawid in their violent campaign against civilians, but the government has denied that its forces were allied to the militia. 
Khartoum's action plan, unveiled during the third meeting of the JIM in Khartoum on 13 July, includes a plan to create safe areas for civilians within a month. 
On Wednesday, Pronk said the government had made some positive efforts to comply with Security Council demands on Darfur, but the implementation of steps to improve the situation in the troubled region, especially security for internally displaced persons, was still "mixed". 
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday there were still 16 camps for Janjawid militias in Darfur. "Throughout the time Khartoum was supposedly reining in the Janjawid, these camps have been operating in plain sight," Peter Takirambudde, executive director of HRW's Africa division said in a statement. "These Janjawid camps should be immediately investigated by the UN and the African Union ceasefire monitors, then disbanded." 
"The existence of these Janjawid camps shows clearly that Khartoum is not at all serious about ending atrocities and providing security," Takirambudde said. "The fact that there are still armed camps filled with killers terrorizing civilians in Darfur makes it impossible for people to go home." 
According to HRW, the camps were located within kilometers of internally displaced persons camps, such as those at Masry, Kutum and Um Sayala in North Darfur, and near Nyala in South Darfur. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Ugandan rebels attacked and captured a village in Southern Sudan's Equatoria Region on Monday, a Sudanese militia group reported on Wednesday. 
The Equatoria Defence Force (EDF) said in a statement that hundreds of Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels were involved in the attack on Katire village, which its militiamen had been guarding. Three militiamen died in the attack, according to the EDF, which is allied to the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), a Sudanese rebel group. 
EDF commander Martin Kenyi said that between 25 and 27 June, the LRA had killed hundreds of civilians in Equatoria. Brig Mohammed Habib of the Sudanese army said the LRA had terrorised the people in southern Sudan just as much as in northern Uganda. 
The EDF spokesman, Charles Kisanga, said LRA leader Joseph Kony was controlling two battalions in the Imatong Mountains close to the Ugandan border with Sudan, adding: "The LRA are now weakened and we estimate they have no more than one thousand men." 
According to Ugandan military sources, 519 former LRA rebels, including 122 senior commanders, have surrendered since January. Another 215 fighters were captured and 800 killed over the same period. Some 1,768 abductees, mainly children, have been rescued. 
EDF and SPLA sources told IRIN that the LRA rebels were mostly operating in eastern Equatoria, around Magwi and Torit counties, located close to the LRA operational areas in northern Uganda. 
The LRA, which is said to have bases in southern Sudan, has fought the Uganda government since 1988. The insurgents have perpetrated gross atrocities against civilians, abducting children for conscription into their ranks and forcing girls to become "wives" of rebel commanders. 
Some 12,000 children have been abducted since June 2002. About 1.6 million people have been displaced by the conflict and live in camps scattered across the north and northeast. 
Two weeks ago, a church organisation in northern Uganda said the conflict between the government and the LRA "may come to a quick end" following the surrender of a large number of LRA fighters over the past few weeks. 
"Suddenly, there is real hope that the 18-year old war that has afflicted northern Uganda -particularly Acholi - may come to a quick end," the Justice and Peace Commission of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu, said in its August situation report. "Many organisations are beginning to talk of the imminence of a 'post-war' situation." 
Referring to the surrenders, the commission said: "What started as a trickle soon became a flow and a trend. Every few days whole groups of LRA combatants and abductees report to some military unit with their commanders." 
On Wednesday, sources said an advance team from the International Criminal Court (ICC) had arrived in Uganda to prepare the investigation of crimes committed in the war between government troops and the LRA. The Uganda government invited the ICC. 

A team of United Nations and Sudanese government officials arrived in the western Sudanese Darfur region on Thursday to assess the implementation of Khartoum's promises to restore calm in the area, officials said. 
The three-day Joint Implementation Mechanism (JIM) mission is visiting Darfur to review the implementation of a plan of action in which Khartoum undertook to improve security and disarm militias accused of committing atrocities against civilians. 
The mission, which includes the UN special envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, and Sudan's Foreign Minister, Mustafa Osman Ismail, will present its findings to the UN Security Council, which will decide next week whether Sudan is making good on commitments to restore security and disarm the militias responsible for killings and massive displacement. 
The Council had given Sudan until 30 August to show that it was making tangible progress in addressing the Darfur crisis or face punitive measures, including possible sanctions. In response, Sudan formulated the action plan. 
On Thursday, Pronk and Ismail met with the Wali [governor] of West Darfur State in the town of El-Geneina. He assured them that all was calm after the deployment of more police and that there were no militias harassing civilians in the area, a source close to the mission told IRIN. 
More than 1.2 million people have been displaced by conflict in Darfur, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Another estimated 200,000 Darfurians have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad. 
Most fled their home villages because of attacks by militias known as the Janjawid, and clashes between government forces and two rebel groups that took up arms early last year to fight what they said was the marginalisation of the region by the government. 
Khartoum has been accused of aiding and abetting the Janjawid in their violent campaign against civilians, but the government has denied that its forces were allied to the militia. 
Khartoum's action plan, unveiled during the third meeting of the JIM in Khartoum on 13 July, includes a plan to create safe areas for civilians within a month. 
On Wednesday, Pronk said the government had made some positive efforts to comply with Security Council demands on Darfur, but the implementation of steps to improve the situation in the troubled region, especially security for internally displaced persons, was still "mixed". 
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday there were still 16 camps for Janjawid militias in Darfur. "Throughout the time Khartoum was supposedly reining in the Janjawid, these camps have been operating in plain sight," Peter Takirambudde, executive director of HRW's Africa division said in a statement. "These Janjawid camps should be immediately investigated by the UN and the African Union ceasefire monitors, then disbanded." 
"The existence of these Janjawid camps shows clearly that Khartoum is not at all serious about ending atrocities and providing security," Takirambudde said. "The fact that there are still armed camps filled with killers terrorizing civilians in Darfur makes it impossible for people to go home." 
According to HRW, the camps were located within kilometers of internally displaced persons camps, such as those at Masry, Kutum and Um Sayala in North Darfur, and near Nyala in South Darfur.

A group of 45 minors kidnapped by the rebels of the LRA (lord’s Resistance Army) and transferred to Sudan, are about to return to their homes in North Uganda. The news was referred by the IOM (International Organisation for Migration), which is transferring the children by air from Juba, in South Sudan, to Gulu, capital of the homonymous district in North Uganda. The IOM specifies that some of the children were freed during the recent operations conducted by the Ugandan armed forces against LRA training camps in South Sudan, while others managed to escape their tormentors, reaching the town of Juba. On arrival in Gulu, where they are attended by a welcoming committee of civil society associations and religious groups, the minors will be assigned to NGO’s that will assist their reinstatement in society. The youths, abducted from their homes and schools, are used in combat, while the younger children are used as carriers; the girls, aside from combating, are forced to become concubines of the rebel leaders. Since 1986 the LRA rebels have been causing death and destruction in the northern districts of Uganda, resulting in an estimated 100,000 victims, 25,000 minors abducted and the displacement of over 1-million (1,500,000 according to other sources

Talks resumed this morning in the Nigerian capital Abuja with the aim of finding a negotiated solution to the 18-month conflict in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, which has led to what the United Nations has described as “the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet”. Despite some progress, such as yesterday’s green light from Khartoum for the expansion of the African Union (AU) mission already present in Darfur, both numerically and in terms of its brief, the real negotiations between the sides have run into difficulty over the crucial question of disarmament. On the one hand, the combatants of SLA-M (Sudan’s Liberation Army-Movement) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) claim that a political agreement needs to be reached with the Sudanese government over power-sharing and the distribution of wealth in the region before they can consider billeting their troops and subsequent disarmament; on the other, Khartoum claims that political negotiations are impossible with armed groups, therefore making disarmament a precondition for dialogue. In any event, the spokesman for AU (which is mediating the talks), Assane Ba, has said that today all the actors in the talks returned to the negotiating table. According to Ba, today’s discussions should focus on the preliminary investigation carried out by a group of US researchers and which is due to come before the UN Security Council by 30 August, the deadline set by the UN for demonstration that Khartoum intends to resolve the crisis. The US report, rumours of which circulated in the American and international media yesterday, claims that the situation in Darfur has not improved, highlighting the fact that violence and fighting are ongoing and saying that there is evidence to confirm the link between Khartoum and the Janjaweed, the militias of Arab predators thought to be the main perpetrators of the current violence. Khartoum has rejected all charges of collaboration with the Janjaweed, who continue to be called ‘outlaws’ at the Nigerian talks. Though using a different tone and different arguments to the US report, the UN special envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk, has confirmed that “the situation on the ground in Darfur has not changed all that much” in the last week. “I have not received a list of names of the Janjaweed”, Pronk told journalists this morning, pointing up the fact that the monitoring and arrest of Arab predators was one of the four conditions set for Khartoum if it wanted to avoid international sanctions; the others concern the deployment of police and security forces in the region to protect civilians, collaboration with humanitarian agencies working in the region and the desire to continue peace negotiations.

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Hit by power cuts and administrative hitches, the Darfur peace talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja made slow progress on Thursday, a spokesman for the African Union (AU) which is sponsoring the negotiations said. 
Delegates at the talks circled around the first and least controversial item on the agenda - humanitarian aid - before adjourning until Saturday, he told IRIN by telephone. 
Meanwhile rebel leaders back in Darfur warned of a rough ride ahead when negotiations finally got round to the agenda's second item - security. 
The Darfur conflict erupted 18 months ago when two rebel groups demanded a better political and economic deal from the Sudanese government for the arid western region. 
They accuse Khartoum of trying to clamp down on their insurgency by employing a mounted Arab militia, known as the Janjawid, to loot and burn black African villages. 
The United Nations estimates the conflict has killed at least 30,000 people and driven almost 1.5 million more from their homes, with most displaced in Sudan and nearly 200,000 fleeing over the border to Chad. 
Improving access for aid workers was the first item up for discussion in Abuja on Thursday, after delegates had spent most of the first three days wrangling over the summit's official agenda. 
AU spokesman Assane Ba said the Sudanese government delegation had delayed presenting its assessment of the humanitarian situation on Wednesday because it had wanted a written copy of the UN's report on the subject, something the world body was not immediately able to supply. 
On Thursday, Sudan finally told its side of the humanitarian aid story. However, a power cut at the conference centre venue interrupted proceedings for a couple of hours. 
When the microphone eventually passed to the two rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), they asked for more time to prepare their report. 
"The talks have been adjourned until Saturday," Ba said. "We haven't even finished the first point on the agenda concerning the humanitarian situation. We didn't even get round to talking about ways to improve it." 
Diplomats have speculated that the rebels may be trying to draw out proceedings in Abuja until 30 August, when a UN Security Council deadline for Khartoum to prove it has made concrete steps to disarm the Janjawid and improve security in Darfur expires. 
However, Sudan's Agriculture Minister Majzoub al-Khalifa, the top government negotiator at the Abuja talks, said the expiry of the UN deadline would have no impact. 
"What is going to happen is that the deadline will pass and we are going to continue negotiations," the French news agency AFP quoted him as saying. "I think this thing (the Abuja peace talks) will finish in three or four or five days." 
But there may be more headaches ahead if and when the talks start to deal with the second item on the agreed agenda, security. 
The AU has suggested that while Khartoum disarms the Janjawid, AU troops will move rebel forces back to designated bases as a precursor to planned disarmament. 
Sudan gave tentative approval to the idea on Wednesday, but on Thursday the rebels made their opposition crystal clear. 
"No rebel movement can accept to disarm before a political settlement," Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, the JEM secretary-general, told Reuters by telephone from Darfur. 
"And we must be clear, not just after political agreement, but after it is achieved. Whether it be one year or however long it takes." 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The Sudanese government has made some positive efforts to comply with United Nations Security Council demands on Darfur, but the implementation of steps to improve the situation in the troubled region, especially security for internally displaced persons (IDPs), is still "mixed", the UN said. 
"The clock is ticking," the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, told a news conference in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Wednesday. "The first line of responsibility is the government. Journalists should ask the government - what are you going to do to help your own people?" he added. 
The news conference was held ahead of a joint assessment mission from 26-29 August to Darfur by UN agencies, the government and other partners. The mission will examine progress on a Darfur action plan that was agreed with the government two weeks ago. 
Among other things, the plan requires the Sudanese government to withdraw military personnel from IDP camps, identify and reduce government-supported militias and increase the police presence in the region, to protect the camps. 
Pronk urged the police to show evidence of fulfilling their responsibilities as protectors of the camps, noting that if they did not, then "the spirit of the agreement will be breached." While Khartoum had shown progress in accepting the demands in the plan, he added, there had been "mixed results" in terms of actual implementation. 
Pronk is due to brief the Security Council on 2 September on his findings. 
The deputy special envoy and UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Manuel Aranda da Silva, told the news conference that even if the security situation in Darfur improved in the near future, agencies would still have to provide aid through late 2005 because most IDPs people had missed this year's planting season. 
He said while improvements in capacity had been made, resources were still severely lacking. It was for this reason that the UN on Wednesday appealed for more funds to help various relief agencies meet urgent needs across Sudan. 
According to the UN, US $434 million out of $722 million for which the agencies had appealed earlier this year was still required for vulnerable people across the country until the end of 2004. The funds were needed mainly to provide assistance and protection to IDPs and host communities in Darfur, assist spontaneous returnees and their immediate reintegration in South Sudan, and to meet other humanitarian needs. 
Peter Holdsworth of the EC's Humanitarian Office (ECHO), based in Nairobi, said some improvements in humanitarian access had occurred in Darfur, but relief efforts were now hampered by heavy rains. "Access is, relatively speaking, better, although I am not sure it reflects the number of aid agencies that are already on the ground," he said. 
He said he had found on a recent mission to South Darfur, that the situation was "still not optimistic". He added that "a climate of fear, intimidation and harassment [still] exists on the ground." Citing one IDP camp in Kass, Holdsworth said it had been reported that 136 cases of rape against women aged 15-30 years had been committed in one month alone. 
Ivo Freijsen, who represented ECHO Khartoum, said relief efforts in Darfur would be costly. The UN, he noted had predicted that two million people could need humanitarian aid by October, but it was "very costly to maintain relief efforts for the 1.5 - 2 million targeted." 
The European Commission (EC) announced on Wednesday that it had allocated another ?20 million (US $24.2 million) to provide food and nutritional support, shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, emergency health care and protection for vulnerable civilians in Darfur. The funds will be channeled through ECHO. 
"There is a real possibility of future famine if corrective steps are not taken," Eulogio Montijano, from the EC Khartoum office, told the news conference. 
Pronk said talks currently taking place between the Sudanese government and two Darfur rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, were a crucial step to ending the crisis. The international community, he added, was watching both sides carefully as they tried to reach "an African solution to an African conflict". 
The Darfur conflict erupted in 2003 when the rebels took up arms against the Sudanese government, accusing it of marginalising their region. Khartoum armed Arab militias known as Janjawid to help it fight the insurgents. But the militias have instead been accused of pillaging villages and maiming, killing and raping civilians.
The violence in Darfur has created what the United Nations calls "the world's worst humanitarian crisis", with about 200,000 people fleeing to neighbouring Chad and more than one million others displaced inside Sudan. 
In New York, the UN Security Council was briefed on Tuesday about Darfur by the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Tuliameni Kalomoh. Council members later issued a press statement expressing strong support for the leading role of the African Union in addressing the humanitarian crisis. 
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has urged the Sudanese government to curb widespread human rights violations in Darfur, saying the government had instead sought to gag those who are speaking about the abuses. 
Amnesty said the Sudanese government was attacking freedom of expression so as to control information, which would reveal whether or not the government is fulfilling its commitments. "Instead of arresting those who commit human rights violations, the Sudanese authorities are arresting those who are exposing the perpetrators," Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Torrential rains have seriously disrupted road and rail transport in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, trapping food trucks in thick mud and derailing a train carrying supplies, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said. 
WFP said planes it was using to drop food into areas that were hard to reach, had also been delayed, in some cases, by 24 hours. Whenever it rained, the airstrip at El-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, became unsuitable for heavy aircraft and Antonov-12 planes had been prevented from landing there before 2.00 pm (11.00 GMT), the agency added. 
"West Darfur is the worst affected by the heavy rains - big thunderstorms that are pouring down on people living without proper shelter or  drainage," Peter Smerdon, WFP Information Officer told IRIN. "If this continues, there could be a significant delay in delivering the food." 
Smerdon said the rains had not only affected the delivery of food to towns in West Darfur, but had also hampered delivery outside towns like Al-Geneina. "Going to Mourni, for example, is a problem. During the dry season we used to go through desert, but now we have to wade through mud," he told IRIN. 
"Our target is 1.2 million people. In July, we reached 951,000. We are intensifying food air-drops because it is quite efficient, although it is very expensive," Smerdon added. "The food is dropped from 700 ft and the people distribute it." 
WFP has commenced phase two of its air-drop operation, which will try to reach several areas beyond El-Geneina, targeting nearly 140,000 displaced people. A total of 72,000 people have already been provided with 1,832 mt of food since air-drops began on 1 August, including 3,000 in areas held by the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) in Kutum province, North Darfur. 
Another five distributions in SLA-held parts of Kutum were being planned from this weekend. 
"With roads cut by swollen wadis [dry river beds that flood during the rains], delivering food by air has become the only option in some areas of Darfur, particularly the far west around the town of El-Geneina," WFP said. 
According to WFP, the rains had continued to play havoc with Darfur's severely limited and overstretched surface transport network. 
"Reports continue to be received of trucks struggling to negotiate roads turned to mud by heavy rain. On 25 August, six of the 21 all-terrain trucks became trapped in thick sand on the road between El-Obeid and El-Fasher," it said. "It took 10 hours to dig them out." 
In mid-August, heavy rain caused the railway line between El-Obeid and Nyala to buckle, resulting in the derailment of a train carrying food. As a result, the line was closed for four days, WFP added. 
The UN agency, which is appealing for more funds to meet the needs in the region, stressed that it had only US $125 million out of the $204 million it required for its operations in Sudan until the end of 2004, a shortfall of 39 percent. A special operation for logistics support, for example, had received just $11 million of the $36 million it required, WFP said. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Talks aimed at bringing peace to Darfur teetered back from the brink of collapse on Wednesday, as rebel leaders temporarily shelved their objection to discussing the confinement of all fighting forces to designated bases, an African Union (AU) spokesman said. 
"We have finally agreed on the agenda," spokesman Assane Ba told IRIN after three days of preliminary wranglings at the AU-sponsored talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja. 
"The rebels had said they wanted the cantonment item taken off the agenda... After private consultations they said they still had reservations about that item but they would allow the process to go on," Ba added. 
Darfur's two rebel groups -- the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) -- have been fighting Khartoum for the past 18 months, demanding a better economic and political deal for the arid western region. 
They refuse to be disarmed by Sudanese government troops whom they say are in cahoots with the Janjawid, a paramilitary force of Arab nomads mounted on horses and camels, which has been accused of looting and burning the villages of black African farmers across Darfur. 
Although the cantonment issue is likely to raise its head again later this week, when the official agenda moves from humanitarian concerns to security matters, there is some hope of reaching a compromise. 
Khartoum has less than a week to prove to the UN that it has made progress in restoring security in its troubled western region and disarming the Janjawid. The threat of sanctions looms on the horizon if the Sudanese government should fail. 
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the current AU chairman, stressed the high stakes at the Abuja talks. 
"One thing that will be a real disaster is for the international community to feel absolutely dissatisfied with the handling of events by the government of Sudan to the extent that they will have to unleash more than even what we are asking for," he told reporters on Tuesday. 
On Wednesday, just two days after snubbing the AU's offer to disarm the rebels, the Sudanese government appeared to leave the door open for extra AU troops to be flown into Darfur to supervise the cantonment of rebel forces, ahead of their eventual disarmament. 
"They (the AU) may need more forces, besides the protection of their monitors, to protect the cantonment of the rebels and we agree about that," said Agriculture Minister Majzoub al-Khalifa, the Sudanese government's top negotiator in Abuja. He did not specify how many extra AU troops might be needed. 
The AU already has 155 Rwandan troops in Darfur and 120 Nigerians are due to join them later this week, but the mandate of this small force is to protect the AU's ceasefire monitors and does not extend to the protection of civilians or peacekeeping duties. 
Obasanjo has proposed sending another 2,000 AU troops to keep the rebels at their bases while Khartoum disarms the pro-government Janjawid militia. 
However, the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based thinktank, and the US-based organisation Refugees International have both called for the AU to send a peacekeeping force of at least 3,000. 
The United Nations has labelled Darfur as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Almost 1.5 million people driven from their homes and the UN predicts that two million people could need humanitarian aid by October. Between 30,000 and 50,000 people are thought to have died since the conflict began. 
AU spokesman Ba said the peace talks would resume in Abuja on Thursday morning. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The European Commission (EC) on Wednesday announced it had allocated another € 20 million (US $24.2 million) in humanitarian aid for people affected by the crisis in the Darfur region of western Sudan. 
The aid package would provide food and nutritional support, shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, emergency health care and protection for vulnerable civilians," the EC said at a news conference in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. It will be channeled through the EC's Humanitarian Aid Office, ECHO. 
The EC Commissioner for humanitarian aid and development, Poul Nielson, said in a statement that the situation in Darfur was still extremely worrying. "Continuing violence in the region has claimed the lives of thousands of people, and is seriously hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid," Nielson said. 
Peter Holdsworth of the ECHO-Nairobi office, told reporters that fear, intimidation and harassment were still continuing in Darfur, with 136 cases of rape reported in one IDP site within a month. "Near Jebel Marra, a nine year old girl was still bleeding after a rape," he said. 
The Darfur conflict erupted in 2003 when two rebel groups took up arms against the Sudanese government, accusing it of marginalising their region. Khartoum armed Arab militias known as Janjawid to help it fight the rebels. But the militias have instead been accused of pillaging villages and maiming, killing and raping civilians. 
The violence in Darfur has created what the United Nations calls "the world's worst humanitarian crisis", with about 200,000 people fleeing to neighbouring Chad and more than one million others are displaced inside Sudan. 
On Wednesday, the UN appealed for more funds to help various relief agencies meet urgent needs across Sudan. It said that US $434 million out of $722 million for which the agencies had appealed earlier this year, was still required for vulnerable people across the country until the end of 2004. 
The funds were needed mainly to provide assistance and protection to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in Darfur, assist spontaneous returnees and their immediate reintegration in South Sudan, and to meet other humanitarian needs, the UN said. 
"While the number of people in critical need of humanitarian assistance has skyrocketed in Darfur in recent months, I implore the international community to also remember the plight of millions of vulnerable people struggling to survive all over the country," the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Manuel Aranda Da Silva, said in a statement. 
According to the UN, $17 million of the $153 million required to assist IDPs who had spontaneously returned to southern Sudan, especially from the north, had been received. By August, about 100,000 people had voluntarily returned to the south, expecting the signing of a peace agreement between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army. 
"This month, an interagency assessment team confirmed that more than 50 of these returnees died from starvation," according to the UN statement. 
"Already strained populations in the south are forced to share scarce resources with returnees, the overwhelming majority in Northern Bahr Al Ghazal, and agencies desperately need funds to help them reintegrate into their communities," it added. "Once the rainy season ceases next month, aid agencies predict that tens of thousands more people may continue moving to the south, which could result in a humanitarian emergency." 
It noted that another $110 million was needed to assist more than three million people living in extremely fragile conditions in other parts of Sudan. 
"While access has increased in the south, some areas are still plagued by insecurity and hampered humanitarian access," the UN said. "In the Lakes area of Bahr Al Ghazal, for example, thousands of people have been displaced and livelihoods disrupted by a series of conflicts between clans of the Dinka ethnic group." 
Some $188 million was still needed to help 1.5 million displaced and other conflict-affected people in Darfur alone. The UN said up to two million people could need humanitarian aid by October. 
"Aid agencies averted an apocalyptic catastrophe by gaining access to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by war over the past couple of months, but the humanitarian crisis is far from over," Aranda Da Silva said. 
"Hundreds of thousands of families displaced by terrorising militias are completely dependant on relief for survival. Many are still empty-handed and with interagency assessments underway, we could see the amount of people needing help rise exponentially over the next weeks and months," he added. 
The UN warned that locusts, which hatched in northwest Africa, could exacerbate the Darfur crisis. "The swarms move like a bulldozer, destroying everything in their path, including crops and grazing vegetation for livestock," the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation's Sudan Representative, Abdulla Tahir Bin Yehia, said. 

Concerned about the “tragic situation in Darfur”, the Catholic bishops of Sudan have appealed to the United Nations (UN), the international community, the Sudanese government and the two rebel movements, SLA-M (Sudan’s Liberation Army-Movement) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) to assist the people of Sudan in their current difficulty, inviting “all those who yearn for justice and peace to offer prayers and assistance for the suffering people of Darfur”. The statement, of which MISNA received a copy by e-mail, consists of 13 paragraphs to a total of 60 lines under the title “Statement of the Catholic Bishops of Sudan on the Critical Situation in Darfur”. The first five paragraphs summarise the situation in the remote western region where the conflict is underway. The bishops, who are currently in Jinja (Uganda), say that “already in the last one and a half years, about 35,000 people have lost their lives and it is predicted that this number will increase in the days to come due to the obstruction of relief agencies from saving the population”. They go on to note that “the Janjaweed (gangs of nomadic Arab predators, ed) could not have purchased sophisticated weapons, and ammunition” as they do not have the funds to pay for themselves and because “they do not have bomber planes to hurl bombs on the innocent civilians”. The bishops then call on the UN and the international community to “exert pressure on the Government of Sudan not only to halt arming the Janjaweed but also to immediately disarm them and bring the perpetrators to justice”, adding that “if the Government of Khartoum is reluctant to assume this responsibility, then we appeal to the international community to intervene immediately. The time factor is crucial in order to save innocent and precious lives”. The prelates then call on the government of Sudan to “open wide the doors” to humanitarian agencies, “respect the dignity of its citizens” and “sit and negotiate a just and peaceful settlement to the conflict”. The bishops remind the two rebel movements that “war is not the best way of addressing grievances (…) War and killing do not solve problems”. They ask the international community to avoid “further discussion and compromise”: “There is no room for further statements, discussions or deliberation. This is a time for action to save innocent people,” they say. The UN is urged to “assume its responsibilities”: “The holocaust of the African ethnicity in Darfur is ethnic cleansing (…) the international community should interfere and offer all necessary assistance”. The bishops also say that the case of Darfur should not stall the peace negotiations underway in Naivasha (Kenya) for South Sudan. “We hereby wish to note that it is contradictory to negotiate peace with some while others are being totally eliminated (…) We reiterate that any peace without justice is no peace,” conclude the bishops

Despite assurances by the host, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, that the peace talks underway in Abuja between the rebels of Darfur and government of Khartoum will take place without any problems, there was another twist. The SLA-M (Sudan Liberation Army-Movement) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement), battling for the independence of the West Sudanese region torn by 18 months of war, in fact rejected the agenda proposed by the AU (African Union) yesterday. “We have precise reservations on the proposed agenda”, commented Ahmed Mohammed Tugod, JEM spokesman, adding however that they will be at the table today to continue the negotiations started on August 23 with Khartoum

Britain’s foreign secretary, Jack Straw, arrived in Darfur this morning on the second day of a visit to Sudan aimed at persuading the government of Khartoum to step up its efforts to end the conflict in the remote western region on the border with Chad. “I recognise that the government of Sudan has made progress, especially in humanitarian access and camp safety and security within the camps,” he told reporters during a visit to the Abu Shouk refugee camp in northern Darfur. However, he also voiced concern about safety in surrounding areas. “People are obviously still very anxious and nervous about whether they will be safe when they go back to their villages,” he said. His visit to Sudan coincides with peace talks between the government of Khartoum and representatives of SLA-M (Sudan’s Liberation Army-Movement) and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement), the two main rebel groups active in Darfur, which opened in Abuja (Nigeria) yesterday. The discussions, which are also being attended by heads of State and top government officials of Chad, Eritrea, Republic of Congo and Libya, as well as by the secretary of the Arab League Amr Moussa, began amid a dispute over the involvement of African Union (AU) troops in disarmament in the region. Nigerian President and current AU chairman Olusegun Obasanjo allegedly said that AU troops were needed to help disarm the rebels as Sudan's forces were incapable of doing this without causing further bloodshed. However, Sudanese Agriculture Minister Majzoub al-Khalifa, who is leading the government delegation, rejected the initiative as being unnecessary. “I don't think there is a need for this," he said before the start of talks with the two rebel groups, who rose up against the government of Khartoum in February 2003. “Simultaneously we will disarm the rebel movements, the Janjaweed (gangs of Arab predators thought to be the main cause of the violence in Darfur, ed.) and other militia." However, the rebels quickly rejected this plan: "There is no way we can let our enemies (the government of Sudan, ed) disarm us. They are still killing us and bombing us," said Abubakar Hamid Nour, coordinator of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). AU sources say that talks could go on for more than a week with the aim of reaching a definitive agreement. The last attempt at mediation in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa failed after the two rebel groups, which began life as self-protection forces for the black African populations in Darfur, set six conditions for their participation in negotiations, which were rejected by the government. Meanwhile, prior to the start of talks the Sudanese justice minister Ali Mohammed Osman Yassin presented Emanuel Akoy, an international observer representing the UN human rights commission , a list of soldiers and policemen arrested in connection with human rights violations in Darfur. The same list also contains the names of 20 or so people believed to have links with the Janjaweed, according to the newspaper ‘al-Ray al-Am’. “The government does not deny that there are human rights violations and it does not protect those who commit them,” said Yassin. According to UN estimates the fighting and violence in Darfur have created over a million internally displaced people and caused 200.000 more to flee into neighbouring Chad, while between 30.000 and 50.000 people are thought to have been killed (no more than 5.000 according to Khartoum).

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The situation in the troubled region of Darfur is a threat to peace throughout Sudan and unless the international community exerts more effort to resolve it, the conflict could spread, adversely affecting neighbouring countries, the International Crisis Group (ICG) warned on Monday. 
In a statement titled: "Darfur deadline: A new international action plan", the ICG said the international response to the Darfur crisis "remains limp and inadequate, its achievements so far desperately slight". 
The ICG urged the United Nations Security Council to "endorse a new international action plan, taking tougher measures against the Khartoum government...authorising the African Union (AU), with stronger international support, to follow up more decisively its efforts to improve the situation on the ground and mediate a political settlement". 
It was not immediately possible to get a comment from the Sudanese government on the ICG report, but Khartoum strongly denies backing militias who are accused of committing atrocities against civilians in Darfur. It has also promised to disarm them. 
On Tuesday, the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, who visited a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur, said Khartoum had made progress on humanitarian access and security within the camps. 
"What I shall be saying to [Sudanese] President [Omar] al-Bashir ... is that we recognise that the government of Sudan has made progress in greatly improving humanitarian access and also in terms of safety and security of people in the camps," the BBC quoted Straw as saying. 
However the BBC quoted Straw as adding: "But talking to people here, it is very clear [they] are still very anxious, apprehensive and nervous about whether they will be safe to go back to the villages from where they have come." 
The UN said in a report issued on Monday that more police had been deployed in North Darfur and the situation in Kalma and Kass IDP camps in South Darfur had stabilised following an increased police presence. It added that relief agencies had reported more police officers being flown to Al-Geneina in West Darfur. 
The ICG noted: "The situation in Darfur constitutes a direct and growing threat to peace prospects in Sudan's 21-year-old civil war and to the chance for one of Africa's largest and potentially richest countries to hold together. Unless much more is done quickly, on both the humanitarian and peace fronts, not only will many tens of thousands more die, but instability will spread, impacting Sudan's neighbours." 
It said the 30 July Security Council resolution had "placed an essentially meaningless arms embargo on Janjawid militias who have caused so much havoc and the rebels alike, but directed no measures at the Sudanese government for whom the Janjawid have acted as a proxy and left officials in Khartoum confident they could continue indefinitely to deflect pressure to resolve the crisis". 
"The international community must do much more about the interconnected problems of humanitarian relief and security on the ground," the ICG noted. "As many as two million civilians in Darfur need emergency aid, but many are not receiving it because of bottlenecks created by the government and, to a lesser extent, the rebels." 
Calling for more logistics, funding, personnel and transport equipment for relief agencies, the ICG noted that the AU's response to the crisis had been "increasingly energetic". 
"The Darfur situation poses an ever greater threat to the nearly finalised peace agreement to end the larger and older civil war between the government and the insurgent Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA)," the ICG said. 
"As long as Darfur festers, the chance remains for political forces in Khartoum opposed to the concessions that have been made in that negotiation to turn government policy back toward war. There is also less prospect that a final agreement with the SPLA, even if signed, could be implemented, or that there would be the necessary support in the West to provide both sides the help they need to make that agreement work," it added 
Ahead of Straw's visit, the British charity, Oxfam, had urged him "to do all he can to bring an end to the violence in Darfur". 
"Straw's visit shows commitment to addressing the continuing crisis in Darfur. But diplomacy and promises are not enough. The people he meets in the camps will have high hopes that his visit will help end the violence that pushed them from their homes," Jasmine Whitbread, Oxfam's International Director, said in a statement. 
"We urge Jack Straw to use his visit to ensure the international community does all it can to end the violence once and for all. Time is running out for the people of Darfur," Whitbread added. 
The Darfur conflict erupted early last year when two rebel groups in Darfur took up arms against the government, accussing it of marginalising the region. Khartoum armed Arab militias known as Janjawid to help it fight the rebels. But the militias have instead been accused of pillaging villages and maiming, killing and raping civilians. 
The UN has said that the violence in Darfur has created "the world's worst humanitarian crisis", with about 200,000 refugees fleeing in neighbouring Chad and more than one million others displaced inside Sudan. 
The ICG report is available at:
http://www.crisisweb.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=2920

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
Africa's latest effort to resolve an 18-month-old conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region hit an immediate bump on Monday when the Sudanese government rejected a proposal for African Union (AU) troops to disarm rebel groups while Khartoum dealt with the pro-government Janjawid militia. 
Nigerian President and current chairman of the African Union, Olusegun Obasanjo, had floated the idea ahead of the latest round of AU-sponsored peace talks which opened in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Monday. 
The Abuja talks follow on from earlier attempts to bring the Sudanese government and the Darfur rebels to the negotiating table in N'djamena, the capital of Chad, in April, and Addis Ababa, the headquarters of the AU, in July. 
Diplomats have billed the Abuja round as the last chance to find an African solution to the Darfur crisis before a UN deadline runs out in a week's time. 
Obasanjo put the case for an AU force disarming the Darfur rebels in an eve-of-talks television interview on Sunday night 
"The (Sudanese) government's argument is 'If we disarm them before the rebels what will happen?' But who is to disarm the rebels? those who armed the Janjawid? This is where I believe that the effort of the AU will be necessary," the Nigerian president said. 

He went out of his way to stress that any AU force in Darfur would complement and not replace Sudan's own police and army. 
"Any AU troops in Sudan are there to complement the Sudanese security. And let me say this: the AU force is not a peacekeeping force in the true sense of the word. It cannot replace the Sudanese security," Obasanjo said. 
However, Sudan's Agriculture Minister, who is leading Khartoum's delegation to the Abuja talks, dismissed the suggestion. 
"I don't think there is a need for this," Mazjoub al-Khalifa told reporters before talks kicked off. "Simultaneously we will disarm the rebel movements, the Janjawid and other militia." 
Darfur's two rebel groups --  the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) -- have been fighting Khartoum since February 2003 for a better economic and political deal for the arid western region. They say the Sudanese government has been arming the Arab Janjawid militia, mounted on camels and horses, to loot and burn their villages. 
The rebels' distrust of Khartoum seemed as strong as ever in Abuja. JEM leader Abubakar Hamid Nour said categorically that his fighters would not hand over their weapons to Sudanese government soldiers or policemen. 
"There is no way our enemies can disarm us," he told reporters on his way into the opening session of the talks. "They are still killing us and bombing us." 
<b>Clock ticking</b>
The clock is ticking for Sudan to prove to the UN Security Council that it is taking concrete steps to disarm the Janjawid and restore security in Darfur. The Council passed a resolution on 30 July giving Khartoum 30 days to comply or face unspecified measures against it. 
The International Crisis Group (ICG), an influential Brussels-based thinktank, on Monday said that when the deadline expired, the UN should demand that the Sudanese government accept an enlarged AU peacekeeping mission with a wider remit than protecting ceasefire monitors. 
"(It should) authorise the AU to form, lead and deploy to Darfur a mission consisting of at least 3,000 troops -- and preferably many more --  with a mandate to provide civilian protection and use force as necessary," the ICG said in a statement. 
The AU has had a team of monitors on the ground in Darfur since an April ceasefire, which the rebels and the government accuse each other of breaking almost daily. 
So far Rwanda has sent 155 military personnel to protect the ceasefire monitors and Nigeria is standing by to deploy another 120 soldiers this week to join this small AU force, which has no mandate to protect Sudanese  civilians caught up in the conflict. Nigeria has said it could send up to 1,500 troops if required but is awaiting a sign from Khartoum. 
Obasanjo's office had said before Monday's talks that disarmament was the major concern. At the official opening session, the Nigerian president told delegates in Abuja to remember the victims and embark on a "genuine search for a solution." 
"Let us bear in mind the suffering of the masses. Of women, children, grandparents as well as refugees and displaced persons," Obasanjo said. 
The UN has said that the violence in Darfur has created "the world's worst humanitarian crisis". 
At the weekend, the Sudanese government undertook to ensure the safe return home of more than one million people displaced by the conflict with Sudan's borders, pledging to abide by a policy of voluntary return. Some 200,000 Darfuris have also fled to neighbouring Chad. 
International pressure is being kept up on Khartoum, with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw flying to Sudan on Monday for a two-day visit. 
"I am keen to see for myself the situation on the ground in Darfur, and to make clear to the Sudanese Government and people the extent of British, and broader international, concern," Straw said in a statement before departing. 
"During and after my visit I shall be liasing closely with President Obasanjo who is holding preliminary peace talks in Abuja starting Monday," he added, 
Assane Ba, a spokesman for the African Union, said all sides had presented their sides of the story during Monday's closed-door session and a six-man mediation committee, including representatives from Nigeria. Libya, Chad, the AU, the UN and the Arab League, was now working on a more detailed agenda. 
"It is a political dialogue and you cannot broker something in one day," he told IRIN by telephone, declining to say how long the discussions in Abuja would last. 

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] 
The Sudanese government has undertaken to ensure the safe return home of more than a million people displaced by conflict in the western Darfur region, and pledged to abide by a policy of voluntary return. 
In a memorandum of understanding signed on Saturday between Khartoum, the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the government said it would "spare no efforts in establishing the necessary security and humanitarian conditions for the phased return to their homes or elsewhere of displaced persons in the most safe, dignified and efficient manner". 
Khartoum granted the IOM and its partners full access to internally displaced persons (IDPs), and to communities to which they would be returning, as provided for in a 3 July Joint Communiqué between the UN and the government of Sudan. 
Khartoum also agreed to accept IOM's determination of the voluntariness and appropriateness of planned IDP returns before they take place, according to the text of the memorandum of understanding. 
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail, IOM's Director General Brunson McKinley and the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Sudan, Manuel Aranda da Silva, signed. 
The IOM would, for its part, assist in the voluntary return of the IDPs to their homes and help in the reintegration of displaced people in their communities. 
The memorandum of understanding also provided for the establishment of a Management and Coordination Mechanism (MCM) on the voluntary return of the IDPs. The MCM will initially be made up of representatives from the government, the IOM and the UN, and will be convened in the second week of September. 
The Darfur conflict that pits the government against insurgents,  erupted early last after rebel groups made up mainly of members of African farming ethnic groups accused Khartoum of marginalising the region. 
Khartoum has b