UN says considering international force for Chad - Egeland meets with Deby

The UN is looking to create an international force to help protect civilians and refugees in Chad from attacks by armed groups spilling over from Darfur, a UN official said on Thursday, Reuters report:

"We have a seriously deteriorating security situation in Chad and the government's capacity is also diminishing in terms of security response," Kingsley Amaning, Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Chad, told Reuters.

"Therefore along with the (Chadian) government we are looking at the possibility of putting in place an expatriate, international force that will support government efforts to provide security in the areas where we are operating," he said.

UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland earlier met Chad's President Idriss Deby to discuss the situation in the country's long and porous border region with Darfur, where armed groups have been mounting cross-border raids on villages.

"It's very clear that Chad has limitations with its present armed forces being small and its police force being even smaller, and that's why ... we are looking at other methods to try to protect the civilian, refugee and displaced populations," Egeland told reporters.

WOAT/SOAT: Continued targeting of civilians in Donkey Dereisa, Nyala, South Darfur

Excerpt from a Press Release by World Organization Against Torture (Geneva) May 10, 2006:

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), a member of the OMCT network, of the continued targeting of civilians, including extrajudicial killing, arbitrary detentions and burning of houses in Donkey Dereisa, Nyala, South Darfur State.

According to the information received, three officers from the government of Sudan armed forces, allegedly under the command of an officer from the military intelligence named Abu Ashara, arrested Mr. Ibrahim Adam (42 yrs) whilst he was working on a water container in Donkey Dereisa on 29 April 2006. According to eyewitnesses' accounts, Mr Adam was taken to a nearby hut and hanged on the same day. The soldiers set fire to the hut, that was completely destroyed.

Furthermore, according to the information received, military intelligence arrested fourteen people from Donkey Dereisa on suspicion of the collaboration with the SLA on 26 April 2006. The men were taken into military detention custody in an unknown place. On 03/04 May 2006, the detainees were transferred to a military intelligence detention center in Nyala where they remain in detention. The men face no official charges.

Lastly, it is reported that on 27 April 2006, armed militias working with government forces attacked and looted Donkey Dereisa village. During the attack, the militias burnt over three thousand houses. The government alleges that there are rebel groups in the surrounding areas of Donkey Dereisa. The attack was reportedly coordinated by Officer Abu Nobu.

The International Secretariat of the OMCT is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of the above-mentioned detainees [see details in press release] and calls for an immediate and impartial investigation into their arbitrary detention.

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Mar 16 2006 Sudanese air force bombed villages of Donkey Dreisa and Omgonya in South Darfur last month?

African Union says Nur's SLM faction may join Darfur deal

Today, from Copenhagan, Denmark, where he is attending a conference on Africa, AU Commission Chairman Alpha Konare told the AP:

"We have been approached by the movement of Abdel Wahid, who has shown interest in being part" of the Darfur peace agreement.

"This is an opening," Konare said, adding that details were sketchy but that talks between the Sudanese rebel leader and the AU were ongoing. "There are contacts going on."

"If new parties want to join, maybe they need more guarantees," Konare said. He did not elaborate what those guarantees - or possible Nur demands - could be.

"But if we have a united front ... we should be able to give this guarantee," Konare added.

Konare's comments could signal a significant development in the Darfur peace drive.

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May 11 2006 Reuters (Estelle Shirbon) - Nur and Minnawi loathe each other. Their fight for control of the SLA was one of the main problems during the Abuja peace talks, which dragged on for close to two years. There have been tensions between Minnawi and Deby and observers fear that the Chadian president could act as a spoiler for the Darfur peace deal unless he is pacified.

Darfur Peace Agreement met central demand of Darfur rebellion - SLM faction and JEM were making "a profound mistake" by not signing - Benn

British Secretary of State Hilary Benn said the Darfur Peace Agreement met a central demand of the Darfur rebellion by creating a regional transitional government which could be consolidated by a referendum on regional governance in three years time.

Mr Benn said the two factions which did not sign were making "a profound mistake".

Full report by Mark Doyle, BBC World Affairs Correspondent May 10, 2006.

May 8 2006 Daily Trust/ST SLM's al-Nur says peace deal misses core concern of Darfur people - According to al-Nur his movement cannot accept the peace agreement in its present form as it would make them the employees of the Sudan government in Khartoum. [What else do they expect to be? This guy sounds as slippery as an eel - defining his demands here is like trying to nail mercury]

Denmark hosts conference on aid to Africa - focus on Darfur

The Danish government on Thursday hosted a conference on peacebuilding measures for Africa and the Scandinavian country's aid to the impoverished continent, Russia's Pravda reported May 11, 2006 - excerpt:

At the start of the one-day meeting, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare and UN's deputy secretary-general Mark Malloch Brown. Also attending the conference were Mozambique Prime Minister Luisa Dias Diogo and Tanzania's foreign minister, Asha-Rose Migiro, along with other AU and Danish officials.

The conference was expected to focus on Darfur. After talks with Fogh Rasmussen on Wednesday, Konare said he backed calls for a large UN peacekeeping force to be deployed quickly and expressed hope the UN would soon decide on whether to send Darfur peacekeepers.

Highlights of Darfur Peace Agreement, last-minute modifications

Click here for three pages of text elaborated by the International mediators to convince the different rebel groups in Abuja to sign the Darfur Peace Agreement on Friday 5 May 2006 [via Sudan Tribune May 11, 2006]

May 9 2006 Trocaire report via Reuters Partial Darfur peace agreement - an opportunity which should not be missed

South Darfur's Kalma Camp residents attack AU police station and lynch to death AU interpreter

AU Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe expressed deep "shock and sadness over the lynching to death of an AU Language Assistant", following an attack against an AU Civilian Police Station by internally displaced persons in their Camp at Kalma in south Darfur, says Sudan Tribune report from Khartoum May 10.

Angry demonstrators killed a Sudanese interpreter working with AU forces in Darfur on Monday 8 May in riots which broke out during a senior UN official's visit to a camp for displaced Sudanese.

"The incident, which seemed to have been orchestrated to coincide with the visit of Jan Egeland, UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, who was himself under threat of physical harm, took place on 8th May 2006." an AU press statement said

AMIS is concerned about the spate of violent demonstrations by the IDPs in Darfur, particularly the ones that took place in Kalma and Hassahissa where, in addition to human casualties, a number of AMIS vehicles and other properties were either burnt, damaged or vandalised. (ST)



Photo: Diplaced Sudanese people hold up banners at Kalma Camp, 8 May 2006, where thousands demonstrated demanding international protection. The head of the African Union's executive said it was vital for the peace accord to end the civil war in the Sudanese region of Darfur to be implemented as soon as possible. (AFP/File/Jonah Fisher)

May 8 2006 Reuters UN evacuates Kalma Camp, after attack

Jan 19 2006 Firewood patrols for IDPs at Kalma Camp, Darfur Sudan

Feb 7 2006 Controlled anarchy at Kalma camp in South Darfur, Sudan

Mar 20 2006 South Darfur's Kalma and Seraif Camp - Rape; Attempted Rape; Risk of Death Penalty

AU mediators issue Open Letter to Darfur rebels: May 15 deadline to sign DPA

Darfur mediators defend peace deal after protests, reports Estelle Shirbon for Reuters May 10, 2006. Excerpt:

Six AU mediators issued an open letter on Wednesday to the rebel groups who rejected the [Darfur Peace] agreement, explaining in detail the benefits the deal is designed to bring to them and to the people of Darfur.

"There are so many attempts to misrepresent the agreement," said Sam Ibok, head of the AU mediation team and one of the signatories of the open letter.

After two years of peace talks in Nigeria, only one faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), led by Minni Arcua Minnawi, accepted the settlement drafted by AU mediators.

A rival SLA factional leader, Abdel Wahed Mohammed al-Nur, is still in the Nigerian capital Abuja where he is facing diplomatic pressure to belatedly sign the deal. The deadline for any signatures to be added is May 15.

Nur is weak militarily but the international community is desperate for him to endorse the agreement because he is a member of the Fur tribe, Darfur's largest. Minnawi has more fighters but he is from the smaller Zaghawa ethnic group.

"The open letter is first and foremost aimed at Abdel Wahed (Nur) and his people," said Ibok.

He added that a campaign was being prepared to inform people in Darfur about what the deal offered them. This would include explanatory leaflets in Arabic.

The open letter said some of the suspicions the rebels had expressed about the agreement stemmed from ignorance or misunderstanding of its content.

"At the moment you have nothing. Everything in the agreement is a gain, and if you obtain the support of the people, you can gain still more," said the letter, referring to elections that the agreement says must be held in three years.

"Whoever wins those elections, governs Darfur," the letter said, stressing that this represented an avenue for the rebels to pursue some of the demands that the accord does not meet.

Turning to security arrangements, the mediators wrote that these were the best part of the deal for the rebels. "At long last, there is a clear plan for dealing with the problem of the Janjaweed," the letter said, spelling out a sequenced plan in which the government must disarm the Janjaweed before the rebels are required to lay down their weapons.

"Demilitarised zones are created along humanitarian supply routes and around camps for internally displaced persons, and in buffer zones that separate the forces of the parties," it added.

AU commission chairman urges UN force for Darfur - Six month delay for UN Darfur force

The African Union commission chairman said Wednesday that a large UN peacekeeping force should be deployed quickly in Darfur.

"We need a massive and strong commitment without delay," Konare said. Full report (ST/AP) May 10, 2006.

Note, it will take at least six-months for UN peacekeepers to be on the ground in Darfur, western Sudan.

Darfur's JEM rebels had no intention to agree peace - Pronk

UN SGSR Jan Pronk blogs his account of the run up to the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement in Abuja. Excerpt:

The JEM, not surprisingly, opted out. I do not think the latter ever had the intention to reach an agreement. Abdul Wahid did. However, he did shy away for peace, because he was afraid to confront his constituency. He kept saying that the agreement did not meet the expectations of his people. No wonder, because he had raised these expectations by making promises he could not keep.

Salim's text was a 'take it, but not leave it' paper. Parties could improve the text, leaving the basic structure intact and provided that they would agree on the amendments.

Abdul Wahid, however, took distance from his negotiators and said that the text was unacceptable. Khalil, the leader of the JEM, did the same, using language that insulted President Obasanjo who was chairing the talks very charmingly, and left.

Not the worst of accords on Darfur (Julie Flint)

Julie Flint, in her latest opinion piece on Darfur (Daily Star May 9, 2006) says the rebel movements have from the beginning suffered from delusions of grandeur (I agree) and their region is "of little or no strategic importance: It has now water and no oil" (sorry to disagree - she is my favourite journalist on Darfur - there does appear to be oil in Darfur, see previous Sudan Watch entries re Darfur oil, listed here below).

The piece explains that even those who have rejected the Darfur Peace Agreement acknowledge that its security provisions are surprisingly good. Excerpt:

The Sudan government must withdraw its forces from many areas it currently occupies, and must disarm the Janjaweed within five months - before the rebels even begin to lay down their guns. Guarantees include an independent advisory team that both Canada and Norway, outspoken critics of the Sudanese government, are keen to head up. The government must downsize the paramilitary Popular Defense Force (PDF) and Border Guards in which Janjaweed have been hidden. The hated PDF must be abolished in three or four years. Thousands of rebels will be integrated into the Sudanese armed forces. Some will even be given command posts.

The agreement's weakest points, from Darfur's viewpoint, are its provisions for power-sharing. At the federal level, the rebel movements have won few concessions and have been refused the third place in the national hierarchy. But they have the fourth - in itself a gigantic step up. The government has won the battle to keep Darfur divided into three states, until a referendum on a single region, and controls 50 percent of state legislatures to the rebels' 30 percent, with 20 percent going to independents - a division that could, in reality, produce an anti-government majority. Critically, however, the movements will control the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority (TDRA) and annual income of hundreds of millions of dollars. It is the TDRA which will be the real power until elections. It will implement the peace agreement, supervise reconstruction and economic development, and help the return and resettlement of the refugees. All the TDRA's commission heads will be the movements' nominees.

Further reading

Jul 12 2004 Oil and Darfur

Dec 4 2004 Oil and Darfur - India signed new pipeline deal - France interested in Uranium and has drilling rights

Dec 20 2004 Rebels attack Darfur oil, Libyans mediate in Abuja, AU probe attack on AU helicopter

Mar 29 2005 Rebels attack villages in South Darfur - Sudanese FM blames SPLM over Darfur, oil

Apr 3 2005 Oil found in South Darfur - Oil issues threaten to derail Sudan hopes for peace

Apr 16 2005 Sudan says oil discovered in impoverished Darfur

Apr 18 2005 New oil field in Darfur expected to produce crude oil by August 2005

Jun 9 2005 Friedhelm Eronat is behind Cliveden Sudan and Darfur oil deal

Jun 10 2005 Friedhelm Eronat and Cliveden Sudan named as buyer of Darfur oil rights

Jun 17 2005 Chinese sign up with Eronat's Cliveden and Canada's Encana to explore oil in Chad

Apr 26 2006 Uranium in Darfur? - Iran 'could share nuclear skills'

EU says Darfur peace deal "big step forward" for Africa - Donors to secure financing for AMIS

European Union support for the African Union would not diminish in the coming months. The EU supports the convening of a donor conference to secure financing of the African Union peace mission in Darfur in accordance with peace agreement..

Sudan's SPLM criticizes performance of the national media

Southern Sudan's SPLM is not happy with the performance of the national media is expressing a single opinion, alone with one party's view and that it does not reflect the policy of the Government of National Unity, Khartoum Monitor reported May 10, 2006.

SPLM spokesman demanded that the media reflect the entire spectrum of opinions: "There is no difference between the media now and the media before the [Comprehensive] peace agreement", he said.

He said the upcoming referendum would be seen as a litmus test of the media as it would require a media that shows concern for political and cultural diversity, and which also acts as a reminder of the new regime: "It is in the interest of the National Congress to highlight the fact that there is a new regime", he explained.

Sudan allocates 8 seats in fed parliament to SLA Minnawi

Sudan has reserved eight parliamentary seats for Darfur rebel Sudan Liberation Movement faction of Minni Minawi that signed a peace accord with the Sudanese government on last Friday 5 May in Abuja.

SLA may take the seats as soon as the implementation of the peace agreement starts. According to the signed Darfur peace Agreement, twelve seats in the National Assembly in Khartoum are allocated to the rebel movements. Full report ST/SRS May 10, 2006.

Firepower needed to keep Darfur peace - Blair

Peacekeeping forces in Darfur must have the arms needed to enforce a truce there, Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday. AP report May 9, 2006:

A UN Security Council meeting has demanded that rebel groups in Darfur join the peace deal signed last week.

Blair, asked about the deal during his weekly House of Commons question session, said it was crucial that Sudan drop its long-standing opposition to letting the United Nations take control of the force of 7,200 African Union peacekeepers in Darfur.

Sudan has said that the peace deal has largely addressed its objections to that transfer of power.

"Secondly, we have to make sure that in the new force that is deployed we have sufficient firepower that we are able to make sure that any agreement is properly policed," Blair said. "And we are looking at this now, urgently, with particularly the United States of America but other NATO partners to see what more we can do."

"The situation in Sudan is very, very serious indeed, there are thousands of people dying needlessly," he said.

Blair said the troubles in Darfur underlined the need for a standing peacekeeping force for Africa.

"In the end the problem in these situations is not just humanitarian, it’s that unless the opposing sides can be kept apart - and that requires military force - it’s very, very difficult for the humanitarian aid to be effective," he said.

May 11 2006 AFP Firepower needed to keep Darfur peace - Blair

UN calls on Sudan to send food aid to Darfur

The UN humanitarian chief called on Sudan to send food aid to Darfur, saying Tuesday that promised international aid would not reach there in time to stave off imminent shortages, Associated Press reported May 9, 2006, excerpt:

Jan Egeland spoke to reporters in Khartoum after returning from a tour of Darfur that was marred by rioting by refugees during a visit to their camp. The refugees attacked a translator in Egeland's entourage, believing he was with the feared Janjaweed militia, then killed a translator working for African Union peacekeepers.

Egeland warned that Darfur is facing food shortages over the next five months because of the rainy season and that Western donations will take time to reach the region. "This year, donors were too late," he said, adding that some had been unaware of the problems raised by the rainy season, when

"I have come with a strong appeal to the govenment" to provide food aid from its strategic stocks to get through "this crucial hunger gap." He said some 40,000 tons a month were needed. (ST/AP)

Interview with SLM leader Abdelwahid Muhammad Nur

Asharq Alawsat Newspaper interview with Leader of the SLM Abdelwahid Muhamed El Nur May 9, 2006 by Aidroos Abdelaziz, excerpt:

Abdelwahid Muhammad Nur, leader and founder of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLA), has launched a scathing attack on "the peace agreement in Darfur," which the Sudanese Government and the wing which split from the SLA, led by Mini Arkoi Minawi, signed in Abuja last Friday. He said the agreement does not fulfill even 1 percent of the aspirations of the Sudanese people in Darfur.

Nur told Asharq al-Awsat that he will "absolutely" not sign this agreement unless radical changes are introduced into it. He, however, stressed that he is for peace and is committed to the two cease-fire agreements signed in Abuja and N'djamena. He said he will not carry arms against anyone, but he will not stop his peaceful struggle.

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Photo: Darfur rebel group SLM leader Abdelwahid Muhammad Nur

May 9 2006 Sudan Tribune Darfur main rebel faction may reject the signed accord - In an Arabic language letter addressed to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan by the political advisor and Foreign Secretary of the rebel group, Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim, the SLM said today that the signing of its leader on the document of Darfur Peace agreement was done under unusual conditions.

South Darfur: UN evacuates Kalma Camp, after attack

UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland, aid workers and journalists were forced to evacuate a refugee camp in Darfur on Monday May 8 after a demonstration spun out of control and an aid worker was attacked.

The melee at the Kalma Camp in South Darfur occurred after thousands of Darfuris were protesting to demand international troops be posted there to protect them. Full report Reuters May 8, 2006.

Intermission

Rest break. Back soon.

Sudan news updates at POTP and CFD and Sudan Tribune.



Photo: Amani Bashir, left, and Taiba Mohamed both of the main rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), at a peace talks meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, Friday, May 5 2006. Sudan's government and the main Darfur rebel group signed a peace plan Friday, marking major progress in an internationally backed effort to end the death and destruction in western Sudan. (AP Photo/George Osodi)
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THREE INSIGHTFUL BLOG ENTRIES BY DRIMA aka SUDANESE THINKER

Thursday 4 May Abuja Talks: No Progress Yet

Yup, unfortunately there's nothing new. Seems like this is going to end up where it started and probably even worse. The rebels are still begging and pleading to America oh great America for help. They want what most hungry people want... more, more & MORE! Unsatisfied with the conditions, they still refuse to sign the draft and want changes made. What's nicer to know is that it seems all along they were unhappy with the talks (that's right for the past 2 years) and actually wanted them to be mediated by the UN or US instead of AU.

I thought the rebels actually cared about their people and would have signed imediately. Apparently they don't. Their hatred for the Khartoum government is intense and is not going away anytime soon. They're intent on giving them a real headache.

The rebels don't want to compromise as the Khartoum government already has by offering to sign. The rebels want to be stubborn... stubborn at the expense of the lives of their own people.

Hi, I'm mister rebel... I'm hungry... Khartoum government don't give me money... I want food... They don't give... Waa... I tink I betta start war... Kill kill kill... people pay attention and then I take power...

1- Khartoum government must seriously come up with a long term plan for the development of the impoverished regions in Sudan or else this is going to continue to happen.

2- The rebels must stop pretending they're fighting against the Khartoum government for the cause of their people. They're only fighting for themselves.

SIGN DAMN IT!

Friday May 5 YES THEY'RE GOING TO SIGN!

Aaaah Finally! This is truly a happy day for me and many other people. The main and most powerful rebel group has agreed together with the Khartoum government on a Darfur peace deal. This could not have happened if it wasn't for the efforts on all sides and the compromises that the Khartoum government made. Only 2 small rebel groups haven't signed yet but nevertheless a peace can now be easily secured and things can go back to normal.

But wait... normal? This whole thing started because the rebels weren't happy with the "normal" conditions. The whole region was and still is impoverished. Now is the time to seriously pump money into the Darfur region and develop it. I just hope those rebels who will take up powerful positions won't end up being corrupted as many officials already are in the Khartoum government. They better have an honest heart and build a tiny well equipped hospital for a start.

Regardless though, I'm very happy now and satisfied. Time to start thinking about the eastern rebels immediately ;)

Sunday May 7 Sudan Welcomes UN Peacekeepers

So now after the Darfur peace deal has been signed, the government of Sudan is now welcoming the UN peacekeepers in Darfur. Seems like things are moving smoothly... so far that is. The burden will now be on the UN's shoulders mostly so let's hope they do a good job. ...

[Thanks Drima! See Sudan Watch Sunday May 7, 2006: Khartoum re-iterates its refusal for dispatch of international troops to Darfur, western Sudan]
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Photo: Ahmed Asamani, head of the Sudanese Fulani tribe attends the peace talks meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, Friday, May 5, 2006. Sudan's government and the main Darfur rebel group signed a peace plan Friday, marking major progress in an internationally backed effort to end the death and destruction in western Sudan. Two rebel groups, though, rejected the accord backed by the African Union, United States, Britain, the European Union and the Arab League and skipped the signing ceremony in a hall at a Nigerian presidential villa. (AP Photo/George Osodi)

Protests greet UN's Egeland in Darfur, before Gereida visit

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs was greeted by protesters on Sunday as he arrived in Nyala, the largest city in southern Darfur, to assess the humanitarian crisis in the region, CNN Senior Correspondent Nic Robertson reported today:

As Jan Egeland stepped off his plane, several dozen protesters chanted and waved banners saying "No to international interference," an apparent reference to a proposal to send U.N. peacekeepers to Darfur to calm the violence that has killed 180,000 people and displaced 2 million others.

Saturday, a spokesman for the Sudanese government suggested that Sudan would welcome U.N. peacekeepers, but a foreign ministry spokesman told Reuters on Sunday that the government had not yet decided whether to allow the so-called "blue helmets" into the region.

Further reading

May 7 2006 BBC report UN's aid chief heads for Darfur: Mr Egeland says access for aid workers is at its worst for two years. He is expected to travel to the town of Gereida which is held by the rebel group which signed the peace deal and have talks with local leaders and visit refugee camps before heading to Khartoum on Monday for meetings with Sudanese officials.

May 7 2006 IRIN report UN humanitarian chief visits strife-torn Darfur: Humanitarian workers had last week expressed fears that Gereida, which provides refuge to an estimated 90,000 displaced persons, might come under siege following a series of attacks on rebel-controlled villages in South Darfur. Leaders in displaced communities said more than 300 villages around Gereida have been abandoned because of the threat of attack since November 2005. Excerpt:

According to United Nations sources, on 24 April, the Sudanese government used an Antonov plane and two helicopter gunships to attack the rebel-controlled village of Joghana, southeast of Gereida, which displaced an additional 25,000 people. Earlier, on 16 April, government forces attacked and retook the rebel-controlled town of Donkey Dreisa, 50 km north of Gereida. On 21 April, Janjawid militia and government forces jointly attacked Dito town, 25km northeast of Gereida. The attacks have exacerbated the already dire situation for many civilians across Darfur.

Interfactional skirmishes have also complicated the situation. Fighting between two SLA factions escalated near Shangil Tobayi and Tawilla in North Darfur during the second half of April, displacing thousands.

Mar 2 2006 Gereida, South Darfur - "I know how many women and children have been killed. That is ethnic cleansing, and it should stop," UN envoy Pronk declared

Mar 11 2006 AU calls for SLA to withdraw from Gereida, South Darfur - JEM rebels say 27 killed by gov't, Janjaweed in Gereida area

Mar 16 2006 Sudanese air force bombed villages of Donkey Dreisa and Omgonya in South Darfur last month?

Apr 3 2006 Sudan Watch: What's going on in Janana, S Darfur? 60 villages attacked by Janjaweed while Khartoum "safeguards" Norwegians from being in Sudan for next 2 weeks?

Apr 28 2006 AU confirms Sudan gov't bombing of Joghana, S Darfur - In 3 months, 200,000 people forced to flee, says UNICEF

May 3 2006 Sudan's SLA rebel attacks on aid workers in North Darfur breaks international humanitarian law



Photo: Leader of the Sudanese delegation Mazjoud el-Khalifa (R) exchanges the African Union (AU) draft peace agreement for Darfur with Minni Minawi, leader of the Sudanese Liberation Army rebel faction in Abuja. The AU promised to continue international efforts to bring lasting peace to Sudan's western Darfur region despite the refusal of a rebel group and a faction of another to sign a United Nations-sponsored agreement. (AFP/Wole Emmanuel)