UN Refugees Chief appeals to Sudanese government to talk with Darfur rebels

NAIROBI, Mar 03, 2004 (dpa) — U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers issued an urgent appeal to Sudanese leaders Wednesday to open talks with rebels in Sudan’s west, warning of “terrible” violence there.

He was speaking after visiting a refugee camp in western Chad which is housing some of the estimated 110,000 Sudanese refugees who have fled to there from their homeland.

Freedom in Sudan must not be at the expense of the people of Sudan’s Darfur region, Lubbers told British Broadcasting Corporation radio.

He called on the Khartoum government to disarm Arab militiamen who for months had been terrorising people in the Darfur region as they countered rebels seeking autonomy and greater political influence.

The militias are being supported by Sudanese air force planes which have been carrying out attacks on villages in the region, driving out tens of thousands of refugees.