Deteriorating Situation In Darfur Concerns UN
Deteriorating Situation In Darfur Leaves UN ‘Extraordinarily Concerned’ – Annan’s Deputy
Warning that “something very ugly is
brewing” in Darfur, United Nations Deputy
Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown today urged the
international community to pay close attention to the crisis
in the impoverished and strife-torn region of western
Sudan.
“We are extraordinarily concerned,” Mr. Malloch Brown told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, calling attention to the worsening humanitarian and security situation in the remote region in recent months and “the absence of a clear political path to the deployment of a UN force.”
A draft resolution circulating among Security Council members outlines the size and scope of a possible UN peacekeeping operation, which would replace the current mission of the African Union (AU). But so far the Sudanese Government has said it is opposed to having blue helmets in Darfur.
In a closed-door briefing yesterday, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi told the Council that Khartoum is building up its armed forces in Darfur, an apparent sign that it is determined to pursue a major military offensive there soon.
The period since the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) in early May has been marked not only by fierce fighting, but also by an unprecedented number of attacks on humanitarian workers – in July alone there were 36 reported incidents that led to nine deaths.
Mr. Annabi said some
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have indicated they
may be forced to withdraw entirely from North Darfur, one of
three states which comprise the region, because of the
dangers to their staff members.
Last week
Secretary-General Kofi Annan wrote to the Council to express
his alarm about the situation, pointing out it has become
much harder for those aid workers who remain to direct
humanitarian assistance to those in need. As many as 1.6
million people are currently inaccessible, Mr. Annan said in
his letter.
Today, Mr. Malloch Brown urged the reporters
to not forget about Darfur, despite the importance of other
crises in the world.
He acknowledged that it is “hard to
keep two stories in the air at once” but stressed that
“it is very, very important that we all pay lots of
attention to Darfur.”
Scores of thousands of people
have been killed and more than 2 million others have been
displaced since conflict erupted in 2003 between rebels,
Government forces and allied militia groups in Darfur, a
region roughly the size of
France.
Ends