Annan: No progress in Sudan

2004-10-05 10:48

United Nations - Secretary-General Kofi Annan reported no progress by the Sudanese government to end the crisis in the western Darfur region, citing continuing clashes, attacks against civilians, escalating banditry and tribal conflict.

In a report to the United Nations Security Council circulated on Monday night, Annan described fresh promises by the Khartoum government but no positive action during September to end the 19-month conflict that has killed over 50 000 people and forced 1.4 million to flee their homes.

The secretary-general said the government made "no further progress" in September in key areas essential to restoring security including implementing a ceasefire, stopping attacks on civilians, disarming militias, and persecuting the perpetrators of atrocities.

"It is clear that the ceasefire is not holding in many parts of Darfur," he said.

More needs to be done

Annan's second monthly report was issued hours before his top envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, was to brief the Security Council Tuesday morning.

Annan noted that his previous report had cited "some progress" by the government including improving security in several areas where Sudanese have taken refuge, deployment of additional police, and lifting restrictions to humanitarian relief.

"In the month of September, this progress has not been reversed," he said.

But Annan said Pronk had received reports "on clashes, attacks, hijackings, banditry and tribal conflict" from UN staff and humanitarian groups on the ground and said much more needs to be done to protect civilians and restore security.

Last week, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who heads the African Union, said the 53-nation body can quickly mobilise up to 5 000 troops to help end the looting and killing in Darfur but it needs hundreds of millions of dollars to deploy the force.

Mobilising troops

The AU now has 68 military observers in Darfur - a region about the size of France - protected by 308 soldiers, monitoring a rarely observed ceasefire signed in April by the government and rebels.

Facing a UN-authorised genocide investigation and the threat of UN sanctions, Sudan's Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told the Security Council on Thursday that Khartoum would accept 3 500 African Union troops for Darfur. Later, he told reporters that if the AU wants "5 000 (troops), it's no problem."

Sudan's Arab-dominated government is accused of mobilising Arab tribal fighters for attacks on Darfur's villagers, in retaliation for uprisings launched by two non-Arab Darfur rebel movements in February 2003. Sudan denies any responsibility and says it has disarmed some of the Arab militiamen, known as Janjaweed.

Annan said the second major issue this month is the resumption of peace talks between the government and the two rebel groups in Darfur on October 24.

- AP