Annan urges action in Darfur as pressure grows on UN

UNITED NATIONS Secretary-General Kofi Annan demanded speedy prosecution of Sudanese officials and militiamen guilty of crimes against humanity in Darfur, as members of the Security Council came under renewed pressure to tackle the issue.

The push to end what has been labelled the world's worst humanitarian crisis gained impetus after a UN panel released a report on Monday that said government-backed militias were still conducting rape, mass killing and wanton destruction in Darfur.

The Security Council, and by extension the UN, has been dogged by allegations that it is standing by and doing little as thousands of people die in Darfur.