AU steps up pressure on Darfur rebels

The African Union stepped up pressure on Sudan’s holdout rebels to sign a deal to end Darfur’s three-year civil war and appealed for a stronger African peacekeeping force to monitor implementation of the peace agreement signed by the government and the main rebel group.

The holdouts had been given until today to sign. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, AU Commission Chairman Alpha Omar Konare said the African Union would push for a United Nations travel ban and asset freeze that would target those who may try to undermine the Darfur peace process and commit human rights violations in the vast, arid region.