UN Chief Urges Action on Darfur

By EDITH M. LEDERER Posted 07 April 2008 @ 05:09 am EET     Print     Reprint     E-Mail     Comments

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored "alarming levels" of violence in Darfur Friday, saying that the suffering of millions in the Sudanese region may have gotten worse in recent years.

Ban said the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force now being deployed in Darfur "can only be effective when there is a peace to keep." He urged the Sudanese government, rebel groups and other interested party to immediately focus on what can be done to end the hostilities, protect civilians and start negotiations.

Recalling the Security Council's first meeting on Darfur in April 2004, the secretary-general said "the situation remains grim today, as then, if not worse."

"Violence targeting civilians, including women and girls, continues at alarming levels with no accountability, or end, in sight," Ban said in a statement.

"Some 4.27 million civilians, including 2.45 million internally displaced, continue to suffer," he said. "As a result of ongoing attacks by armed forces and groups, more than 100,000 civilians have been forced to flee from violence this year alone, at a rate of 1,000 per day."

In a monthly report, Ban cited a dramatic deterioration in the security situation in some areas and increased hostilities, especially in Western Darfur which led to the displacement of thousands and civilian deaths. The situation is complicated by the presence of rebels from neighboring Chadian in Western Darfur "who continue to regroup," it said.

In the report, Ban called for "all means possible" to be used to deploy the AU-U.N. force quickly to protect the people of Darfur. Only 9,200 troops and police of the 26,000 authorized are on the ground and earlier this week the United States said it wants 3,600 new African troops in Darfur by June.

He said the U.N. is accelerating deployment but the Sudanese government has not yet given a green light for Thai and Nepalese troops, insisting it wants all African forces on the ground first.

He called on all parties trying to end the fighting to "immediately focus on what can be achieved by ending the hostilities, protecting civilians and coming to the negotiating table."

The U.N. believes that far more than 200,000 people have been killed in the conflict. Fighting has raged in Darfur since 2003, when ethnic African tribesman took up arms, complaining of decades of neglect and discrimination by the Sudanese Arab-dominated government. Khartoum has been accused of unleashing janjaweed militia forces to commit atrocities against ethnic African communities in the fight with rebel groups.