A top United Nations human rights investigator today released a scathing report blaming the government of Sudan for atrocities against its civilians in the Darfur region.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell has criticised the Sudanese government, saying it fails to realise the gravity of a humanitarian crisis threatening one million people in Darfur.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan flew to Sudan today for a firsthand look at what his officials are calling the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in the violence-torn Darfur region.