US warns Sudan over displacement
Mr Powell, on the second day of a visit to Sudan, arrived in Darfur yesterday for a first-hand look at some of the million people displaced by marauding Arab militias in what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
He has threatened unspecified UN Security Council action if Khartoum does not crack down on the militias, known as the Janjaweed, and streamline relief work in the region.
But a senior US official said that the Sudanese did not appear to realise the gravity of the crisis.
“They are in a state of denial. They are in a state of avoidance. They are trying to obfuscate and avoid any consequences,” said the official, who asked not to be named.
As Mr Powell took off from the Sudanese capital, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Khartoum on a similar mission, demonstrating the high-level interest in the plight of two million Darfuris affected by the conflict.
An estimated one million black Africans have been displaced during the conflict with Arab militias backed by the Sudanese government. Satellite photos reveal the razing of hundreds of villages.
The United States says between 10,000 and 30,000 Sudanese have been killed in fighting between Arab militias backed by the government and the black African population. The government denies it is supporting the militias.
A UN human rights investigator said on Tuesday that she saw “strong indications of crimes against humanity” during a 13-day visit this month to western Sudan and called for the international community to investigate.
Asma Jahangir told reporters at the United Nations that she found “absolutely clear indications” that Arab militias were being protected by the Sudanese government. She said the number of black Africans killed by Arab militias is “bound to be staggering”.
Mr Annan has raised the possibility of sending in international troops if Sudan’s government can't safeguard its people in the vast and desolate western region. ""
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail has acknowledged that there may be some humanitarian problems in Darfur but insisted “there is no famine, no malnutrition and no disease” in the area.
