Sudan backs down

2004-05-22 09:06

Khartoum, Sudan - Sudan has eased restrictions on humanitarian groups trying to assist in the troubled region of Darfur, according to a joint statement released by the foreign ministry and the ministry of humanitarian affairs.

The United Nations and a number of aid organisations have complained of rejections or delays in receiving travel permits to Darfur, where more than a year of fighting has displaced almost 1 million people and led to a major humanitarian crisis.

"The government has decided to grant those working with the United Nations, the donors, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and non-governmental organisations an entry visa within 48 hours of depositing their application with the Sudanese diplomatic missions," Friday's statement said.

The visas will be valid for three months, it said. The move was part of an effort "to facilitate the missions of the partners working in the humanitarian domain."

The statement said the new measure recognised the needs of the Darfur citizens for humanitarian assistance and hoped that the aid would enable many to return home.

In New York, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the announcement.

"The secretary-general trusts that these measures will be implemented immediately, so that more than 1 million people affected by the crisis in Darfur can receive the aid they so urgently need," UN spokesperson Fred Eckhard said.

Annan also called on donors to respond to appeals for aid for Darfur and the refugees in Chad.

President Omar el-Bashir visited the region earlier this week and urged citizens to return home, promising that calm had returned since a cease-fire was signed last month and denying claims of ethnic cleansing.

But in Washington on Friday, a senior state department official accused the government of Sudan of ethnic cleansing and said the United States would press the UN next week to issue a statement demanding Sudan halt the violence.

Aid agencies have also accused the Arab-dominated government of providing support to Arab militiamen waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing against African tribes.

If the UN does not respond, the American official said, the United States would move to reimpose international sanctions on Sudan, which were lifted four years ago. The United States maintains a dozen set of separate sanctions against Sudan, which is among seven countries branded as sponsors of terrorism by the state department.

European and Arab governments are not inclined to support the US strategy, the official acknowledged as he briefed reporters under rules that barred identifying him by name.

Thousands of people in Darfur are believed to have died since early 2003 when rebels began fighting for autonomy and greater state aid. The conflict has also displaced about 900 000 refugees in Darfur's three states, and another 100 000 have fled into neighbouring Chad.

- AP